Laparoscopic Skill Made Easy

Video game aptitude appears to predict the level of laparoscopic skill in the novice surgeon. Although video games have always been infamous for their anti-social aspect and the violence that is shown in them. They have been seen as negatively affecting the players in terms of lack of social skills, inefficiency, obesity and laziness. We lack the unbiased view thus miss on the positive effects of video games.

Training Lab of Laparoscopy

The negativities brought in by video games are due to the unrestricted duration for which they are played. A surgeon who’s ever gripped a game controller knows that games improve hand-eye coordination in playing video game. It is proved that quality of game affect the manual dexterity of the surgeon. A player has to watch on screen while simultaneously operating the joystick of the device in his/her hand to make moves. This requires the player to be alert and well coordinated. Moreover, he/she can see his actions taking effect immediately, thus getting a first hand experience of his/her actions taking effect.

Video games are popular among the children and the youngsters of whole world. Students who played violent games were more hostile, less forgiving, and more apt to view violence as normal, than peers who played non-violent games. But students who played “pro-social” games got into fewer fights at school and were more helpful to other students, the researchers reported. Yet another study, at Fordham University, measured the effect of learning a new video game on problem-solving skills in middle-school-age children and found that “playing video games can improve cognitive and perceptual skills. A recent study by found that laparoscopic surgeons who played games for three hours or more a week made 37 percent fewer mistakes than nongaming doctors. The study, conducted by Boston’s Beth Israel Medical Center and Iowa State University’s National Institute on Media and the Family, also found the game-playing surgeons were also 27 percent faster than their counterparts. The study sampled 33 doctors and medical-school residents from May 2003 to August 2003. Commonly used in laparoscopic surgery consists of a rigid telescope and fiber optic camera and surgical tools through small slits in the skin. The tools are then manipulated by a surgeon who uses remote controls and watches a video monitor, much like gamers direct action on their TVs. “I use the same hand-eye coordination to play video games as I use for surgery,” researcher Dr. James “Butch” Rosser told the Associated Press.

Parents don’t put away those video games just yet - today’s gamer may be tomorrow’s top surgeon. Researchers who gathered in Boston for the American Psychological Association convention detailed a series of studies suggesting video games can be powerful learning tools - from increasing younger students‘problem-solving potential to improving the suturing skills of laparoscopic surgeons. Nottingham Trent University professor Mark Griffiths says that video games can prove to be a distraction for those undergoing painful cancer treatments. In a study conducted in 2006 by Prof. Dr. R.K. Mishra, Director of Laparoscopy at Laparoscopy Hospital, New Delhi, he studied the surgical skills of surgeons playing video games and surgeons who did not. It was astonishing to know from the results that surgeons playing video games were faster in action and made lesser mistakes during work than those who did not play video games. There are careers building around video gaming. Laparoscopy Hospital, New Delhi is launching some New Video games to improve the skill of surgeon. We have programmers working as video game testers and game designers.

Video games have become extensively integrated into today’s culture. Study with the help of young surgeons suggests that video game play contributes to performance excellence in laparoscopic surgery. Training benefits for surgeons who play video games should be quantifiable.

Past experience playing video games may improve dexterity and proficiency at laparoscopic surgeons, according to study done at Laparoscopy Hospital, New Delhi. It is theorize that video game playing may develop a neural pathway that is necessary for laparoscopic surgery.

Download Star Shooter Game to Develop Laparoscopic Skill

Laparoscopic suturing is difficult but essential skill for performing advanced laparoscopic procedures. Laparoscopic suturing and knot-tying skills can be acquired and improved by attending a well-structured short laparoscopic training course. There have very few studies perform before to investigate the relationship between the needle manipulation skills and intracorporeal knot-tying skill. These studies have proved the relationship between the needle manipulation skills and intracorporeal knot-typing skill.

Five types of suturing tasks were assessed on 50 laparoscopic trainees who attended advanced fellowship laparoscopic training courses at Laparoscopy Hospital, New Delhi, without any experience in previous laparoscopic suturing. Scores were obtained by pre and post training assessment using checklist derived bases on Objective Structured Clinical Examination and Observational Clinical Human Reliability Assessment. Evaluated task performances consisted of tying all type of advanced intracorporeal sutures like; surgeons knot, tumble square knot, Dundee jamming knot, continuous suturing and Aberdeen termination were asked to apply.

Scores were obtained on each type of task by the pre and post course assessment using the checklist developed based on Objective Structured Clinical Examination and Observational Clinical Human Reliability Assessment. The inter-observer reliability of the checklist was 0.81. Significant difference observed between the pre and post course assessment scores in all tasks assessed among all subjects for laparoscopic suturing skills including needle manipulation, bite placement and intracorporeal knot-typing skill (P<0.001).

Laparoscopic suturing could be obtained with proficiency by attending a training course regardless the prior experience and skills in laparoscopic suturing. Intracorporeal knotting skill is not influenced by other skills that are related to laparoscopic suturing; therefore, it could be practiced independently and it should be mandatory for the surgeons, gynecologists and urologists to develop their suturing skill. Complete study is published in World Journal of Laparoscopic Surgery Volume I Issue II.

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