Video games can help cut surgical errors: study

[Celebration]

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006-05-24T042240Z_01_N5N185622_RTRIDST_0_HEALTH-VIDEOGAMES-DC.XML

Surgeons who warmed up by playing video games like "Super Monkey Ball" for 20 minutes immediately prior to performing surgical drills were faster and made fewer errors than those who did not, said Dr. James "Butch" Rosser, lead investigator on the study slated for release on Wednesday.

The research involved 303 surgeons participating in a medical training course that included video games and was focused on laparoscopic surgical procedures -- which use a tiny video camera and long, slender instruments inserted through small incisions. The study was conducted by Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City in conjunction with the National Institute on Media and the Family.


Doctors were measured on their performance of the "cobra rope" drill, a standard laparoscopic training exercise used to teach how to sew up an internal wound.

Researchers found that surgeons who played video games immediately before the drill completed it an average of 11 seconds faster than those who did not. Any errors committed during the training lengthened the time it took to complete the task -- indicating that faster finishers made fewer mistakes.

[shain from kane]

1. 20 minutes of playing time to save 11 seconds? The price of

surgery just went up, because someone has to pay the doctor for playing videogames.

[BrklynLiberal]

2. I believe I had heard somewhere else that they were using video games

to improve surgeons' dexterity.
Perhaps it was even on some comedy show where they were making fun of it.

Guess it makes sense.:shrug: