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©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Endosc. Dec 10, 2015; 7(18): 1287-1294
Published online Dec 10, 2015. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v7.i18.1287
Published online Dec 10, 2015. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v7.i18.1287
Role of virtual reality simulation in endoscopy training
Louis Harpham-Lockyer, Faidon-Marios Laskaratos, Owen Epstein, Centre for Gastroenterology, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London NW3 2QG, United Kingdom
Faidon-Marios Laskaratos, Academic Centre for Medical Education, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
Pasquale Berlingieri, Owen Epstein, Centre for Screen-Based Simulation, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London NW3 2QG, United Kingdom
Author contributions: Harpham-Lockyer L wrote the initial draft; all the authors contributed to the conception of this review and the revision of the manuscript; all the authors approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: None declared.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Faidon-Marios Laskaratos, MD, MSc, MRCP, Centre for Gastroenterology, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, Pond Street, London NW3 2QG, United Kingdom. flaskaratos@gmail.com
Telephone: +44-20-77940500 Fax: +44-20-77946614
Received: June 8, 2015
Peer-review started: June 11, 2015
First decision: July 29, 2015
Revised: September 28, 2015
Accepted: October 20, 2015
Article in press: October 27, 2015
Published online: December 10, 2015
Peer-review started: June 11, 2015
First decision: July 29, 2015
Revised: September 28, 2015
Accepted: October 20, 2015
Article in press: October 27, 2015
Published online: December 10, 2015
Core Tip
Core tip: There is good evidence for the use of virtual reality simulation in endoscopy training programmes, with most benefit seen amongst novice trainees. More research is needed concerning the best integration of simulators within a training programme and the optimal exposure needed. Findings are limited by the variety of simulators used and limited power of the studies. More evidence is also needed to support the benefits virtual reality simulators may have within endoscopic ultrasound and endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography training programmes.