Computers and virtual reality for surgical education in the 21st century

Surgeons must learn to perform operations. The current system of surgical r esident education is facing many challenges in terms of time efficiency, co sts, and patient safety. In addition, as new types of operations are develo ped rapidly, practicing surgeons may find a need for more efficient methods of surgical skill education. An in-depth examination of the current learni ng environment and the literature of motor skills learning provides insight s into ways in which surgical skills education can be improved. Computers w ill certainly be a part of this process. Computer-based training in technic al skills has the potential to solve many of the educational, economic, eth ical, and patient safety issues related to learning to perform operations. Although full virtual-reality systems are still in development, there has b een early progress that should encourage surgeons to incorporate computer s imulation into the surgical curriculum.