title: Robotic surgery training with commercially available simulation systems in 2011: a current review and practice pattern survey from the society of urologic robotic surgeons.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Virtual reality (VR) simulation has the potential to standardize surgical training for robotic surgery. We sought to evaluate all commercially available VR robotic simulators.
  
  
  METHODS
  A MEDLINE(®) literature search was performed of all applicable keywords. Available VR simulators were evaluated with regard to face, content, and construct validation. Additionally, a survey was e-mailed to all members of the Endourological Society, querying the pervasiveness of VR simulators in robotic surgical training. Finally, each company was e-mailed to ask for a price quote for their respective system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There are four VR robotic surgical simulators currently available: RoSS™, dV-Trainer™, SEP Robot™, and da Vinci(®) Skills Simulator™. Each system is represented in the literature and all possess varying degrees of face, content, and construct validity. Although all systems have basic skill sets with performance analysis and metrics software, most do not contain procedural components. When evaluating the results of our survey, most respondents did not possess a VR simulator although almost all believed there to be great potential for these devices in robotic surgical training. With the exception of the SEP Robot, all VR simulators are similar in price.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  VR simulators have a definite role in the future of robotic surgical training. Although the simulators target technical components of training, their largest impact will be appreciated when incorporated into a comprehensive educational curriculum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA. costas.lallas@jefferson.edu
authors.forename: Costas D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Lallas
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Davis
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019538:Health Care Surveys / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D010820:Physicians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012371:Robotics / Q000193:education* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012955:Societies, Medical; D013520:Urologic Surgical Procedures / Q000193:education* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014584:User-Computer Interface