SynthesisNeurosurgical review2021
Simulation for skills training in neurosurgery: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and analysis of progressive scholarly acceptance.
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 37 papers, 6 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
37 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Artificial intelligence augmented tutoring vs expert instruction on learning simulated general surgical skills: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC medical education · 2026Pooled it
- Simulation training in spinal endoscopic surgery: a systematic review of current status.Neurosurgical review · 2026Pooled it
- Identifying Research Priorities in Digital Education for Health Care: Umbrella Review and Modified Delphi Method Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- Spaced Digital Education for Health Professionals: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Pooled it
- Augmented and virtual reality usage in awake craniotomy: a systematic review.Neurosurgical review · 2022Pooled it
- Augmented Reality in Neurosurgery, State of Art and Future Projections. A Systematic Review.Frontiers in surgery · 2022Pooled it
- Effect of Artificial Intelligence Tutoring vs Expert Instruction on Learning Simulated Surgical Skills Among Medical Students: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2022Trial
- Educational Utility of a Full-Skull 3-Dimensional Model for Skull Base Surgery Training.Neurosurgery practice · 2026Article
- Article
- The NEUROSAVE study - impact of cadaveric neurosurgical workshops on general and paediatric surgeons' confidence in performing life-saving neurosurgical procedures: a preliminary survey study.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Virtual Reality in Neurosurgery: Advancing Training, Education, and Surgical Planning.Asian journal of neurosurgery · 2026Review
- Simulator Training on Neurointerventional Skill Acquisition in Novices: A Pilot Study.Neurology international · 2026Article
- Implementing a multimodal simulation-based curriculum in a neurosurgery residency program: The University of Milan experience.Brain & spine · 2026Article
- 4D Neurosurgery-Learning Brain Surgery from an Avatar.Advances and technical standards in neurosurgery · 2026Article
- A multifaceted training approach for neurosurgery registrars incorporating cadaver-based simulation.Journal of the colleges of medicine of South Africa · 2026Article
- History of medical education in neurosurgical training: moving from illustrations and cadaver dissections to virtual simulation.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2025Review
- Development and external validation of a mixed-reality aneurysm clipping simulator.Neurosurgical review · 2025Article
- Virtual reality force feedback spine surgery simulator training for pedicle screw placement: assessing the impact of seniority and spinal region.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Smartwatch-based wrist tremor assessment in neurosurgical simulator training.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Training in Endoscopic Endonasal Neurosurgical Procedures: A Systematic Review of Available Models.Journal of neurological surgery. Part B, Skull base · 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
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
At a time of significant global unrest and uncertainty surrounding how the delivery of clinical training will unfold over the coming years, we offer a systematic review, meta-analysis, and bibliometric analysis of global studies showing the crucial role simulation will play in training. Our aim was to determine the types of simulators in use, their effectiveness in improving clinical skills, and whether we have reached a point of global acceptance. A PRISMA-guided global systematic review of the neurosurgical simulators available, a meta-analysis of their effectiveness, and an extended analysis of their progressive scholarly acceptance on studies meeting our inclusion criteria of simulation in neurosurgical education were performed. Improvement in procedural knowledge and technical skills was evaluated. Of the identified 7405 studies, 56 studies met the inclusion criteria, collectively reporting 50 simulator types ranging from cadaveric, low-fidelity, and part-task to virtual reality (VR) simulators. In all, 32 studies were included in the meta-analysis, including 7 randomised controlled trials. A random effects, ratio of means effects measure quantified statistically significant improvement in procedural knowledge by 50.2% (ES 0.502; CI 0.355; 0.649, p < 0.001), technical skill including accuracy by 32.5% (ES 0.325; CI - 0.482; - 0.167, p < 0.001), and speed by 25% (ES - 0.25, CI - 0.399; - 0.107, p < 0.001). The initial number of VR studies (n = 91) was approximately double the number of refining studies (n = 45) indicating it is yet to reach progressive scholarly acceptance. There is strong evidence for a beneficial impact of adopting simulation in the improvement of procedural knowledge and technical skill. We show a growing trend towards the adoption of neurosurgical simulators, although we have not fully gained progressive scholarly acceptance for VR-based simulation technologies in neurosurgical education.
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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.