Effect of Mobile Video Games on Laparoscopic Simulation Skills in Medical Students

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Laparoscopic Skills Acquisition, Surgical Education and Skill Acquisition, Simulation Training, Laparoscopy, Medical Students

In brief

This study evaluated whether regular mobile video game play could improve laparoscopic simulation performance among medical students without prior surgical or simulation experience. Thirty first-, second-, and third-year medical students were randomly assigned to either a mobile gaming intervention group or a control group. All participants received standardized training using the Simbionix LAP Mentor™ laparoscopic simulator and completed baseline assessments of hand-eye coordination, suture placement, and bimanual maneuver tasks. During the subsequent three-week intervention period, participants in the intervention group played selected mobile games (DATA WING™ and Aim Lab Mobile™) for at least 30 minutes daily, while the control group was instructed not to play mobile games. After the intervention, all participants repeated the same laparoscopic simulation tasks. The primary objective was to determine whether mobile gaming improved laparoscopic performance, as measured by task completion time and performance accuracy. The findings of this study may help clarify whether inexpensive and widely accessible mobile games can serve as an adjunct to simulation-based surgical education for novice medical students.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07744399

Run by

Marmara University

People needed

30

Starts

2023-01-26

Expected to finish

2023-05-20

Last updated by the study team

2026-08-04

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Medical students enrolled in the first, second, or third year of medical school.
• No previous real surgical experience.
• No previous virtual or laparoscopic simulation training experience.
• Self-reported mobile game use of less than 3 hours per week before enrollment.
• Ability and willingness to provide informed consent.
• Voluntary participation in the study.

You may not qualify if…

• Previous real surgical experience.
• Previous virtual or simulated surgical training.
• Mobile game use of 3 hours or more per week before enrollment.
• Failure or unwillingness to provide informed consent.
• Withdrawal of consent during the study.

Where it is running

• Marmara University School of Medicine — Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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