title: Influence of videogames and musical instruments on performances at a simulator for robotic surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess if exposure to videogames, musical instrument playing, or both influence the psychomotor skills level, assessed by a virtual reality simulator for robot-assisted surgery (RAS).
  
  
  METHODS
  A cohort of 57 medical students were recruited: playing musical instruments (group 1), videogames (group 2), both (group 3), and no activity (group 4); all students executed four exercises on a virtual simulator for RAS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjects from group 3 achieved the best performances on overall score: 527.09 ± 130.54 vs. 493.73 ± 108.88 (group 2), 472.72 ± 85.31 (group 1), and 403.13 ± 99.83 (group 4). Statistically significant differences (p < .05) between group 3 and group 4 were found for overall score (p = .009) and for time of completion (p = .044). As regards experience with the piano, subjects from group 3 outperformed those from group 1 on overall score (496.98 ± 122.71 vs. 470.25 ± 92.31), but without statistically significant difference (p = .646).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study suggests that the level of psychomotor skills in subjects exposed to both musical instrument playing and videogames is higher than that in those practicing either one alone. The effect of videogames appears negligible in individuals playing the piano.
authors.affiliation: a EndoCAS, Center for Computer Assisted Surgery , University of Pisa , Pisa , Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moglia
authors.affiliation: b Cisanello Teaching Hospital of Pisa , Pisa , Italy.|c Multidisciplinary Center of Robotic Surgery , University Hospital of Pisa , Pisa , Italy.
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Perrone
authors.affiliation: a EndoCAS, Center for Computer Assisted Surgery , University of Pisa , Pisa , Italy.|d Information Engineering Department , University of Pisa , Pisa , Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.affiliation: b Cisanello Teaching Hospital of Pisa , Pisa , Italy.|c Multidisciplinary Center of Robotic Surgery , University Hospital of Pisa , Pisa , Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Morelli
authors.affiliation: b Cisanello Teaching Hospital of Pisa , Pisa , Italy.|c Multidisciplinary Center of Robotic Surgery , University Hospital of Pisa , Pisa , Italy.
authors.forename: Ugo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Boggi
authors.affiliation: a EndoCAS, Center for Computer Assisted Surgery , University of Pisa , Pisa , Italy.|b Cisanello Teaching Hospital of Pisa , Pisa , Italy.
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.affiliation: a EndoCAS, Center for Computer Assisted Surgery , University of Pisa , Pisa , Italy.|b Cisanello Teaching Hospital of Pisa , Pisa , Italy.
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mosca
authors.affiliation: e Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna of Pisa , Pisa , Italy.|f Institute for Medical Science and Technology, University of Dundee , Dundee , UK.
authors.forename: Alfred
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cuschieri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D009146:Music; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D065287:Robotic Surgical Procedures / Q000193:education*; D000066908:Simulation Training / Q000379:methods; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D018910:Video Games / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: da Vinci simulator; robotic surgery simulator; virtual reality simulator robotic surgery; virtual simulation da Vinci