title: Technical skills improve after practice on virtual-reality temporal bone simulator.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether practice on a virtual-reality (VR) temporal bone simulator improves acquisition of technical skills in mastoid surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective blinded study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a previously validated objective structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS) tool, performance was assessed in 12 residents for two tasks of cortical mastoidectomy: 1) identifying and defining the tegmen and 2) defining the sigmoid sinus and sinodural angle. These surgical tasks were chosen as key steps in mastoid dissection because they were of intermediate complexity. Videos of virtual dissections were captured at baseline and again after practicing each task four to six times.
  
  
  RESULTS
  OSATS scores for the tegmen task increased from 2.125 ± 1.25 to 3.1 ± 0.85 (P = .026), whereas for the sigmoid task scores increased from 2 ± 0.45 to 2.75 ± 1.125 (P = .0098). The time to complete the tasks decreased from 8.37 ± 4.78 minutes to 5.39 ± 3.06 minutes (P = .018) for the tegmen task and from 8.99 ± 6.7 minutes to 8.68 ± 5.98 minutes (P = .594) for the sigmoid task. There was a decline in number of injuries from 0.5 ± 1.5 to 0 ± 0.5 (P = .594) for the tegmen task and from 2.5 ± 4 to 0.5 ± 1 (P = .029) for the sigmoid task.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Technical skills in mastoidectomy surgery can be acquired during even brief practice on the VR temporal bone simulator. It is anticipated that longer periods of practice presented within the fundamentals of comprehensive curriculum will facilitate procedural learning. Further studies are required to elucidate evidence of transference of these skills to the operating room and to procedures of greater complexity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Howard W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.forename: Mohammad U
authors.initials: MU
authors.lastname: Malik
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Diaz Voss Varela
authors.forename: Maxwell A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Barffour
authors.forename: Wade W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Chien
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Carey
authors.forename: John K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Niparko
authors.forename: Nasir I
authors.initials: NI
authors.lastname: Bhatti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003479:Curriculum; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D009873:Operating Rooms; D013506:Otologic Surgical Procedures / Q000193:education*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D013701:Temporal Bone / Q000601:surgery*; D014584:User-Computer Interface