Effect of Surgical Training Using a Virtual Reality Sinus Simulator in Medical Education

• Published in: Nihon Bika Gakkai Kaishi (Japanese Journal of Rhinology) Vol. 62; no. 4; pp. 598 - 604
• Main Authors: Sato, Go, Kamimura, Seiichiro, Ishitani, Keisuke, Endou, Aki, Fukuda, Junya, Kanamura, Ryo, Shono, Hitoshi, Kondo, Eiji, Azuma, Takahiro, Kitamura, Yoshiaki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese; English
• Published: Japan Rhinologic Society 2023
• Subjects: Medical education; Temporal bone simulator; Virtual reality; VOXEL-MAN Sinus
• ISSN: 0910-9153; 1883-7077
• DOI: 10.7248/jjrhi.62.598

Objective: To evaluate the effects of a virtual reality sinus simulator in medical education.Methods: A total of 151 medical students undergoing bedside learning were included in the study over two years. Several instructors provided training based on a guidance manual. We examined the students’ knowledge of anatomy of the sinus and administered a questionnaire to determine their comprehension of surgical procedures involving the sinus after the training compared to the level of understanding before the training.Results: The percentage of correct answers for anatomical knowledge of the sinus improved from 57.6% before the simulation to 88.8% after the simulation. Responses of “well understood” or “I think I understood” to questions on comprehension of surgical procedures involving the sinus were obtained from 82.6% of students for the maxillary sinus, 81.2% for the frontal sinus and 82.6% for the sphenoid sinus. Similarly, the response rates of “very high” or “high” to questions on interest in rhinology surgery and otorhinolaryngology were 95.7% and 94.2%, respectively.Conclusion: Training using a virtual reality sinus simulator was useful to improve anatomical knowledge about the sinus and comprehension of surgical procedures involving the sinus, as well as to unify the training content because of standardization and customization of the surgical procedure. Thus, training using a virtual reality sinus simulator is a particularly effective tool in medical education for both medical students and instructors.