SynthesisNeurosurgical review2021
The impact of surgical simulation on patient outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Neurosurgical review, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 44 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
44 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Simulation training in spinal endoscopic surgery: a systematic review of current status.Neurosurgical review · 2026Pooled it
- Simulation in robotic-assisted thoracic surgery: a systematic review.Journal of robotic surgery · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of virtual reality on pain, anxiety, and delirium in pediatric surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Pediatric surgery international · 2025Pooled it
- AI in Surgical Curriculum Design and Unintended Outcomes for Technical Competencies in Simulation Training.JAMA network open · 2023Trial
- Effect of Artificial Intelligence Tutoring vs Expert Instruction on Learning Simulated Surgical Skills Among Medical Students: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2022Trial
- Fundamental kinematic indicators predict surgical expertise and clinical outcomes in robot-assisted surgery.NPJ digital medicine · 2026Article
- e-Learning, Distance Education, and Virtual and Augmented Reality in Orthopedic Training: European Cross-Sectional Survey of Trainee Acceptance Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model and Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology.JMIR medical education · 2026Article
- Novel Simulation With 3D-Printed Spine for Teaching Durotomy Repair: A Technique Guide and Validation Study.Simulation in healthcare : journal of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare · 2026Article
- Assessing the realism and face validity of Fix For Life: an embalmed human cadaver model for high-fidelity laparoscopic training.Surgical endoscopy · 2026Article
- From racetracks to operating rooms: parallels between Formula 1 racing and robotic surgery.Surgical endoscopy · 2026Article
- Implementing a multimodal simulation-based curriculum in a neurosurgery residency program: The University of Milan experience.Brain & spine · 2026Article
- Evaluation of the Master's program: A SAGES pilot educational initiative.Surgical endoscopy · 2025Article
- The Pocket Strabismus Surgical Skills Trainer: design and validation.Journal of AAPOS : the official publication of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus · 2025Article
- 3D printed anisotropic tissue simulants with embedded fluid capsules for medical simulation and training.Science advances · 2025Article
- Development of a Novel, Affordable, and Accessible Simulation for Teaching Rotator Cuff Repair.Cureus · 2025Article
- Do more years in training equal to more advanced skills? Trends in operative performance of surgical residents during advanced laparoscopic training course.Surgical endoscopy · 2025Article
- Building Safe Emergency Medical Teams with Emergency Crisis Resource Management (E-CRM): An Interprofessional Simulation-Based Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Smartwatch-based wrist tremor assessment in neurosurgical simulator training.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Simulation tools in neuro-oncological surgery: a scoping review of perioperative and training applications.Journal of neuro-oncology · 2025Article
- Functional Data Analysis of Hand Rotation for Open Surgical Suturing Skill Assessment.IEEE journal of biomedical and health informatics · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The use of simulation in surgical training is ever growing. Evidence suggests such training may have beneficial clinically relevant effects. The objective of this research is to investigate the effects of surgical simulation training on clinically relevant patient outcomes by evaluating randomized controlled trials (RCT). PubMed was searched using PRISMA guidelines: "surgery" [All Fields] AND "simulation" [All Fields] AND "patient outcome" [All Fields]. Of 119 papers identified, 100 were excluded for various reasons. Meta-analyses were conducted using the inverse-variance random-effects method. Nineteen papers were reviewed using the CASP RCT Checklist. Sixteen studies looked at surgical training, two studies assessed patient-specific simulator practice, and one paper focused on warming-up on a simulator before performing surgery. Median study population size was 22 (range 3-73). Most articles reported outcome measures such as post-intervention Global Rating Scale (GRS) score and/or operative time. On average, the intervention group scored 0.42 (95% confidence interval 0.12 to 0.71, P = 0.005) points higher on a standardized GRS scale of 1-10. On average, the intervention group was 44% (1% to 87%, P = 0.04) faster than the control group. Four papers assessed the impact of simulation training on patient outcomes, with only one finding a significant effect. We found a significant effect of simulation training on operative performance as assessed by GRS, albeit a small one, as well as a significant reduction to operative time. However, there is to date scant evidence from RCTs to suggest a significant effect of surgical simulation training on patient outcomes.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.