| If you are shortly going to be going to hospital to | | | | surgeon which would not be possible using the |
| have an operation, it might not necessarily be the | | | | hands directly. |
| most comforting thing to hear that your surgeon, | | | | It may well be that this type of surgery is closer |
| in whose hands lies your life, has had a good deal | | | | to playing a computer game, by interacting |
| of training playing computer games. | | | | through a computer, than the traditional surgery |
| Yet, recent studies have actually shown that the | | | | normally carried out, that does not involve a |
| vast majority of surgeons who do regularly play | | | | computer in any form other than to monitor life |
| computer games actually have a much better | | | | signs. For this reason, the familiarity with using a |
| success rate and accuracy rating than their | | | | computer, including visual interpretation, control |
| colleagues who play games either very rarely or | | | | and understanding, could mean that surgeons |
| not at all. This might seem strange, but there are | | | | should be playing computer games more often in |
| a number of statistics to back up this claim, and a | | | | order to improve their skills. |
| number of reasons why this trend may be the | | | | Certainly no one would complain if surgeons were |
| case. | | | | bought a computer game for them to play for |
| The study was carried out at a medical centre in | | | | three hours a week, if it meant that overall |
| New York recently, and they found that those | | | | surgical operations were carried out nearly thirty |
| surgeons who, on average, play three hours video | | | | percent faster and with a greater degree of |
| gaming per week managed to work almost thirty | | | | accuracy, exceeding forty percent gain. |
| percent faster than those who did little or no | | | | This study did focus on one very specific kind of |
| gaming, and were over forty per cent more | | | | surgery, but it does pose a number of interesting |
| successful in operations. The tests were carried | | | | possibilities. With computers increasingly becoming |
| out on simulated operations, using virtual reality | | | | tools which are used in every day life, to what |
| and computer controlled equipment, which is in | | | | extent do skills gained either directly or indirectly |
| many ways very much the way some operations | | | | through playing computer or video games |
| are now carried out. | | | | transfer to these real life skills, providing a better |
| With more and more operations requiring finer | | | | training and improved performance overall? |
| accuracy and greater precision, human hands and | | | | Taking this ideas further, should all students in |
| clumsy tools are not always able to achieve the | | | | school be provided with three hours of dedicated |
| standards required. Therefore, computers are | | | | playing time per week in order to speed up their |
| used to carry out the surgery, controlled directly | | | | work success rate and improve their grades? It is |
| by the surgeon. Shakes, tremors and inaccurate | | | | unlikely to happen, but the theory at least does |
| movement can be ignored by the computer, and | | | | pose a number of interesting points. Certainly it is |
| where the surgeon moves his hand a long | | | | unlikely that the idea would be discouraged by the |
| distance, the computer reduces this proportionally, | | | | students concerned. |
| so that very fine work can be carried out by the | | | | |