Resident's training to retinal photocoagulation: Virtual reality compared to conventional apprenticeship.

Virtual reality is one of these recent technologies which can provide an efficient help in the field of surgical apprenticeship. We achieved an original training simulator for retinal photocoagulation destined to the residents of the ophthalmological department. This paper describes the comparison between this new training tool and the conventional practice. Two groups of residents, randomly selected, were trained exclusively by one of these methods. These two groups were under the responsability of two distincts experts. A final valuation was made by a third and different expert, ignoring the training mode practised by each of the residents. The study lasted six months. The results show that this new training mode is at least as efficient as the current one in term of elapsed time and efficiency. It may even reduce the training duration. These results confirm that a pedagogical simulator could give a new approach in the medical teaching, particularly in its management. Such a device may solve the problems of practitioner's lack of disponibility and of patients' safety and comfort during a conventional training. Furthermore, it could bring an objective way to value the students' practical ability. On an other hand this preliminary study emphasizes the difficulties in introducing a new modality in a traditionnal teaching environment.