Why is VR effective as a tool? Well, video gamers and surgeons share important attributes: precision and accuracy, visual-spatial skills, depth perception ability and total immersion in a task.
Investment in gaming is fuelling new innovations at the forefront of technological development and highly immersive control experiences – and this is precisely what surgeons require. Blind navigation, for example, is the design principle used to enable gamers to instinctively find each control element by touch, without ever needing to look away.
The pandemic played a part in this conversion. Throughout several lockdowns, remote technology and virtual collaboration tools were widely adopted. During this time, VR became a vital tool to ensure trainee surgeons were able to continue developing their skills, with Oculus headsets helping to mimic real-life surgical procedures and scenarios, accelerating the rate of learning for many students.
Although it may seem odd to use tools and technology associated with gaming during a time of extremely limited in-person contact, they created an environment that allowed the next generation of surgeons to learn and develop their skills.
