Virtual Reality vs Technical Video in Surgical Training

The use of instructional technical surgical videos is common in orthopaedic education. Many residents have used instructional technical surgical training videos prior to medical school, as well as during their residency program, and at instructional courses. The use of instructional technical surgical videos and multimedia is considered an adjunctive training method for orthopaedic residents to learn operative procedures. Immersive virtual reality (iVR) is increasingly used in surgical education. Recently, iVR has shown transfer of skill training in orthopaedics. The continued study of the effectiveness of iVR training in orthopaedic education could benefit new competency based orthopaedics residency programs. The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of instructional technical surgical video training to immersive iVR training for teaching technical skills of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty. Our hypothesis was that iVR improved learning effectiveness compared to standard technical surgical video. Secondary objectives include validating a virtual reality ratings scale through correlation to real-world performance. We proposed a randomized, blinded intervention-control trial directly comparing immersive iVR versus technical surgical instructional video training in the teaching of reverse shoulder arthroplasty in senior residents, learning at the 2020 annual Canadian Shoulder and Elbow Society meeting.