Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33864069›Full record

SynthesisBJS open2021

Virtual reality simulation in robot-assisted surgery: meta-analysis of skill transfer and predictability of skill.

M W Schmidt, K F Köppinger, C Fan, K-F Kowalewski, L P Schmidt, J Vey, T Proctor, P Probst, V V Bintintan, B-P Müller-Stich and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BJS open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
38citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
14.0field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

38 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 92 citations in OpenAlex.

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  19. Robotic Thoracic Surgery: Current Landscape and Future Directions.Interdisciplinary cardiovascular and thoracic surgery · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

M W SchmidtDepartment of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
K F KöppingerDepartment of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
C FanDepartment of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
K-F KowalewskiDepartment of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
L P SchmidtDepartment of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
J VeyInstitute of Medical Biometry and Informatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
T ProctorInstitute of Medical Biometry and Informatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
P ProbstDepartment of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
V V BintintanDepartment of Surgery, First Surgical Clinic, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj Napoca, Romania.
B-P Müller-StichDepartment of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
F NickelDepartment of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Heidelberg University · DEUniversity of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca · RO

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe value of virtual reality (VR) simulators for robot-assisted surgery (RAS) for skill assessment and training of surgeons has not been established. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to identify evidence on transferability of surgical skills acquired on robotic VR simulators to the operating room and the predictive value of robotic VR simulator performance for intraoperative performance.

methodsMEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Web of Science were searched systematically. Risk of bias was assessed using the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for Education. Correlation coefficients were chosen as effect measure and pooled using the inverse-variance weighting approach. A random-effects model was applied to estimate the summary effect.

resultsA total of 14 131 potential articles were identified; there were eight studies eligible for qualitative and three for quantitative analysis. Three of four studies demonstrated transfer of surgical skills from robotic VR simulators to the operating room measured by time and technical surgical performance. Two of three studies found significant positive correlations between robotic VR simulator performance and intraoperative technical surgical performance; quantitative analysis revealed a positive combined correlation (r = 0.67, 95 per cent c.i. 0.22 to 0.88).

conclusionTechnical surgical skills acquired through robotic VR simulator training can be transferred to the operating room, and operating room performance seems to be predictable by robotic VR simulator performance. VR training can therefore be justified before operating on patients.

Indexed as

Clinical CompetenceSimulation TrainingVirtual RealityHumansRobotic Surgical ProceduresValidation Studies as Topic

Identifiers

PMID33864069
PMCPMC8052560
OpenAlexW3153493693

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.