Evaluating the ability of students to learn and utilize a novel telepresence platform, Proximie

J Robot Surg. 2022 Aug;16(4):973-979. doi: 10.1007/s11701-021-01330-4. Epub 2021 Nov 6.

Abstract

Novice users of telesurgery could be limited by their experience and technical ability. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care systems is unprecedented, and telehealth allowed care providers and patients a safety margin. An indirect impact of redeployment of hospital staff during COVID-19 management has been on the reduced educational opportunities for residents. Proximie can be considered as a virtual teaching platform or classroom for any user. Twenty-one students voluntarily participated in utilizing a da Vinci® skills simulator (dVSS) to carry out surgical training simulation tasks. Our study focuses on digital native's adaptation to utilizing Proximie's augmented reality platform to direct task performance, to gauge its feasibility by this unique cohort.

Keywords: Robotic surgery; Simulation; Telementoring; Telepresence; Virtual reality.

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19*
  • Clinical Competence
  • Computer Simulation
  • Humans
  • Pandemics / prevention & control
  • Robotic Surgical Procedures* / methods
  • Students
  • User-Computer Interface