Usability and Learning Environment of a Virtual Reality Simulator for Laparoscopic Surgery Training

One of the critical aspects of laparoscopic surgeries is the training and learning of medical students to acquire the experience and the correct use of the equipment, which is usually difficult due to different circumstances. One of the ways to improve these activities is by using Virtual Reality technology that allows immersion in scenarios that simulate reality, but to achieve its correct use, it is necessary to consider usability and its learning environment. This work aims to develop a simulator software in Virtual Reality that allows the training and learning of students in laparoscopic surgery, evaluating its usability and learning environment. The proposal was developed in five levels so that the student can have a greater concentration on each task; The levels developed are: clamps, clamps for the camera, cut, cut camera and cut with clamps; Each level has different tasks to perform with which the student will be able to interact in a more orderly way. The evaluation of usability and learning environment was carried out through the survey technique using the questionnaire instrument. The reliability analysis of the instrument was carried out using Cronbach's alpha test and using the correlation coefficient of its items by Spearman. The results showed that 85.85% of the surveys carried out were positive for the learning environment area and 81.18% of the positive surveys for the Usability area, so it is concluded that the proposal developed can help in the training of medical students procedurally and practically for the development of skills in laparoscopic surgery.

@article{Rosas-Paredes2021,
  title     = {Usability and Learning Environment of a Virtual Reality Simulator for Laparoscopic Surgery Training},
  journal   = {International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications},
  volume    = {12},
  number    = {8},
  year      = {2021},
  publisher = {The Science and Information Organization},
  author    = {Karina Rosas-Paredes and José Esquicha-Tejada and Héctor Manrique Morante and Agueda Muñoz del Carpio Toia},
  doi       = {10.14569/IJACSA.2021.0120887},
  url       = {https://doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2021.0120887}
}