They are best suited for two types of skills needed for surgery, eye–hand coordination and the ability to perform three-dimensional actions using a two-dimensional screen as a guide.
Various surgical tools or gloves are connected to motion sensors and haptic or tactile feedback mechanisms where the user can physically feel the difference in simulated tissue and organs.
By inputting data from computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans the patient can be replicated in the virtual environment.
While significant gains have been seen with their use in novices, their effectiveness diminishes as the procedure is repeated with students reaching a plateau.
[2] Virtual surgery as a means to simulate procedures and train surgeons grew out of the video game industry.
"[3] DaVinci Surgical System programmed their first simulator for laparoscopic surgery in 2005, and its accuracy and design made it quickly accepted by surgeons.
[9] In a study of another program, the Minimally Invasive Surgical Trainer-Virtual Reality (MIST-VR), participants were tested on 10 consecutive times within a 1-month period.
The objective of the game is attending to patients that have sustained accidents, broken bones, internal bleeding and trauma, as well as responding to various diagnoses and performing various surgical procedures.
The objective of the game is to make the user think faster and increase their ability to solve problems at the surgical table.