# Investigating Hip Arthroplasty Femur Preparation Training Using a Haptic-Enabled Virtual Reality Simulation

## TL;DR

This study compared haptic virtual reality training with traditional methods for hip arthroplasty skills and found no significant differences in performance outcomes.

## Contribution

The study evaluates the effectiveness of haptic-enabled VR in training for hip arthroplasty, highlighting its potential as a supplementary tool.

## Key findings

- No significant difference in implant depth error between VR and traditional training groups.
- Operative time and technical skill ratings were similar between the two training methods.
- VR training modules showed potential as an adjunct for early-stage surgical training.

## Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) simulation training offers a promising solution to the growing challenges of acquiring operative experience in surgical skill development. As previous studies have primarily utilised VR systems without haptic feedback, there remains limited evidence on the impact of more immersive, tactilely responsive platforms. This study aimed to assess if haptic-enabled VR technology could accelerate the acquisition of hip arthroplasty skills.

Twenty undergraduate medical students (12 Female, 8 Male; age = 20 ± 2 years) were randomly allocated to either a 60-minute haptic VR training session or a traditional mentor teaching session on hip arthroplasty. After training, all participants performed a SawBone simulated hemiarthroplasty procedure in a physical environment. Outcomes measured included implant depth error, which determined procedural success, operative time, and an objective evaluation of technical skills by a blinded Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon.

We observed no difference in levels of implant depth error (P = .705), rated technical skill (P = .704), or operative time (for successful implant insertions; P = .551) between traditional and VR-trained groups.

These results indicate that VR may, at least, serve as a valuable adjunct to traditional early-stage training in complex open procedures like joint arthroplasty. The study also emphasized the importance of realistic VR training modules and illustrated the potential limitations of incorporating low-fidelity haptic feedback in VR training for such procedures.