The new system will put an end to the practice of using female pigs during training in surgical techniques, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Through a joystick or surgical tools, the new technology will enable the center’s 24 resident doctors to see a virtual patient through a screen and allows them to perform the usual procedures on the ovaries, uterus and fallopian tubes.
“Surgery is no different than learning how to play an instrument or a sport,” said OB/GYN residency program director Dr. Xavier Pombar. “The more practice you have, the better you get.”
Rush will come up with a training module by August and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) agreed to cover half of the $12,000 cost.
RT #Psious “#VirtualReality applied to surgical training at Rush University Medical Center RushMedical in #Chicag… July 5, 2016
Michelle Beck, a fourth-year resident, said the new technology will enable her to become proficient on many forms of surgical concepts.
“We’ll be able to practice everything from basic concepts to full surgeries and receive feedback in real time,” Beck said. The system “scores competency — how effective your movement was, how long it took you to complete the task — and then gives you a percentage.”
According to Shalin Gala, PETA laboratory methods specialist, the software was specifically designed for OB/GYN surgical training and, without harming animals, residents at Rush will have the opportunity to repeat the surgery.
“The students can repeat the procedure until they have mastered it,” Gala said. “This will boost confidence levels and, in turn, warrant less errors during surgery.”
PETA said doctors who learn surgical skills through human simulators are more proficient than those using animals during their training.
“Studies published in prestigious medical journals have shown time and again that animal experimentation wastes lives—both animal and human—and precious resources by trying to infect animals with diseases that they would never normally contract,” said PETA, which is working with hospitals across the United States for the adoption of human-patient simulators that spare the lives of animals.
“Fortunately, a wealth of cutting-edge non-animal research methodologies promises a brighter future for both animal and human health,” it added.
With the advent of the modern technology, many hospitals worldwide have started using virtual reality to train their medical professionals since VR enables them to embrace methods that are not frequently happening in real life.
