article · BMJ Open Quality
This research describes the outcomes of the first virtual reality (VR)-enhanced essential surgical training course, a collaboration between the UK and Uganda. The programme successfully disseminated surgical skills resources in a low- and middle-income country context, where such opportunities are often scarce. Key benefits identified included environmental improvements, enhanced cross-cultural knowledge sharing, improved scalability, and better connectivity. The design process highlighted that collaboration between high-income and low- and middle-income countries is vital for delivering locally relevant training. This work adds to evidence suggesting extended reality technologies can transform surgery, despite some remaining barriers. It demonstrates VR's potential to upscale postgraduate surgical education and build healthcare capacity globally.
This research demonstrates how virtual reality can expand access to advanced surgical training, particularly in regions with limited resources. By enabling scalable and collaborative learning, it helps address the global shortage of skilled surgeons and improves healthcare capacity, ultimately benefiting patient care worldwide.
This work demonstrates an applied and tested virtual reality training methodology for surgical education. It could be adopted by universities, medical training organisations, and healthcare providers seeking to enhance and scale postgraduate surgical programmes, especially in low-resource settings. The approach offers a pathway for delivering advanced, locally relevant training and building healthcare capacity.
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Outcomes from our first global VR-enhanced essential surgical training course demonstrating dissemination of surgical skills resources in an LMIC context where such opportunities are scarce. The benefits identified included environmental improvements, cross-cultural knowledge sharing, scalability and connectivity. Our process of programme design demonstrates that collaboration across high-income and LMICs is vital to provide locally relevant training. Our data add to growing evidence of extended reality technologies transforming surgery, although several barriers remain. We have successfully demonstrated that VR can be used to upscale postgraduate surgical education, affirming its potential in healthcare capacity building throughout Africa, Europe and beyond.
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DOI: 10.1136/bmjoq-2023-002477
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