We know games aren’t the bane of healthcare providers everywhere. Games can do you some physical and mental good, in moderation. But training you to be a pro-surgeon? That’s a bit of a new one to me. Turns out that wielding a controller could make you more proficient at holding a scalpel, saving lives and popping unflattering amounts of vicodin.
TechCrunch tracked down the above video report of a study conducted by the University of Texas Medical Branch in the US. The study showed medical residents took second place to high school students who played games at least two hours a day, when it came to operating robotic surgery equipment under simulated conditions. “Slight better” were the exact words of the university’s Dr Sami Killic, but that’s pretty darn good considering the residents are not only trained, but have participated in “actual cases”.
Simulations, of course, are very different to being inside of a real person with a pair of cold metal robot hands (oh yeah). But if you needed any more reason to justify your game playing to your significant other / guardian / cupcake-loving chief of medicine, just point them in the direction of this video.
Kilic Robotic Simulator Training Study [YouTube, via TechCrunch]
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