Virtual Reality Environments in Surgical Training - Introducing the Pre, Trans and Postoperative Virtual Environment (OPVIR) Ambientes de Realidade Virtual Aplicados ao Ensino da Cirurgia - Apresentação do Ambiente Virtual Pré-, Trans- e Pós-cirúrgico (OPVIR)

Objectives: To briefly describe virtual reality simulators used as a tool in the teaching of ungraduate medical students and introduce OPVIR, the pre, trans and postoperative virtual environment developed by this group. Research report: In virtual reality systems used for the teaching and training of surgical principles, or any other invasive procedure in which students are expected to actively participate, the more closely the virtual model and reality resemble each other, the more intense the training experience. OPVIR is a virtual reality pretraining education tool for the teaching of basic surgical principles in medical school. The system requires students to perform a wide range of tasks, from choosing the right size gown, positioning the operating team around the surgical table, choosing instruments and starting a thoracotomy to completing a pathology requisition form. Preliminary results: In a preliminary evaluation of OPVIR, 15 medical students rated the overall virtual experience as satisfactory or highly satisfactory (scores 7 to 9 on a 10-point scale). Discussion: Our preliminary results suggest that OPVIR is useful as a pretraining education tool for medical students who have never been in contact with a surgical unit. Virtual reality systems, once integrated with other curricula and teacher support, may be a solution for medical education programs.