Jennifer Hua, Kenneth Holton, Assia Miller, Isaac Ibikunle, Christian Cruz Pico, Angelina Postoev and Alade Christopher Ibikunle
Background: Laparoscopic surgery requires a more complex skill set than open surgery. Shortened training times and patient safety concerns dictate that these skills be acquired and developed outside the operating room. Subsequently, Augmented Reality (AR) based applications are increasingly used to support surgical training.
Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of Augmented Reality simulation training for laparoscopic abdominal surgery.
Methods: PubMed, Embase, and OVID were searched for relevant articles published between April 2013 to April 2018. Of the total of 1,348 studies screened, three studies were ultimately included for meta-analysis.
Results: The meta-analysis demonstrated a net proportion pooled rate of 1.29% (95% CI=-0.75-3.33) for placement error and 1.93% (95% CI=-0.63-4.49) for task performance time. In placement error analysis, the sample sizes totaled 52 for Augmented Reality trainers and 51 for conventional trainers. For task performance time analysis, sample sizes were 60 for Augmented Reality trainers and 59 for conventional trainers.
Conclusion: The meta-analysis showed there were no significant differences in the efficacy of Augmented Reality training versus conventional training. Not only are Augmented Reality training applications effective in improving placement error and task performance time, but these applications have few drawbacks and numerous benefits compared to traditional training methods. Augmented Reality tools are often cheaper and require less oversight from instructors. Incorporating Augmented Reality technology into surgical training curricula is both promising and necessary, but a unified platform for training must be first established.
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