“Surgeons
who had played Video Games in the past for more than three hours per week made
37 percent fewer errors, were 27 percent faster and scored 26 percent better
overall than Surgeons who never played Video Games. It is the error reduction
that will have the most significant impact on patient safety”
Conclusion of a (2001-2003) Study into the effects on Video Games on
improving Doctor performance during Surgery done by General Surgeon Dr. James
"Butch" Rosser of the Celebration
Health's Nicholson Center Hospital in Kissimmee, Florida
That’s
good news for all Doctors, including Doctors here in Jamaica. A Study done
recently by Dr. James “Butch” Rosser with a group of 300 Surgeons has managed to
demonstrate the above; a reduction in surgical mistakes as stated in the
article “Surgeons
prep for high-tech Surgery with Monkey Ball 2, other Video Games”,
published 7:22 p.m. EDT, October 10, 2013 By David Breen and Henry Pierson
Curtis, Orlando Sentinel.
His
original report, written a decade ago, had proven what has always been known
from an anecdotal point of view; playing Video Games before doing any complex
task improves hand-eye coordination and reduces mistakes.
Why this
article is so interesting is that it again shows the positive benefits of
playing Video Games as opposed to the negative connotations with violence,
which no study to date has been able to conclusively prove. In fact, violent Video
Games have been shown to reduce violence by allowing persons who are stressed
to release their anger on virtual characters rather than real people based on a
study conducted by Dr. Christopher J. Ferguson at Texas A&M as stated in “Study
Claims Violent Video Games Reduce Hostility”, published August 11, 2010 By
Ryan Fleming, DigitalTrends.
In so
doing it improves their hand-eye coordination and thus makes them better at
work that they may do in real life. There are even computer peripherals such as
Interaxion’s Muse Mind Controller and the Leap Controller as described in my blog article
entitled “Leap
Motion Controller went live on Monday July 22 2013 - How a Theremin Computer
Device revives PC sales as Everything is Possible to be controlled by Voice and
Motion” that will relax both mind and body while playing a Video Game that
requires you to flex the muscles in your mind.
Any
connections or any violent Video Games to violent crimes thus far are merely
correlation with no solid proof that they cause subjects to have violent
tendencies and thus end up committing those crimes!
Dr. James
Rosser study involved 150 Surgeons that played Super Monkey Ball on the
Nintendo Wii and the original Super Monkey Ball on the original GameCube (most
likely his favourite games I’ll bet!) and another 150 Surgeons as part of a
control group that didn’t play any Video Games at all. He then had them perform
Laparoscopic Surgery on a simulator to test their performance. Their
performance on the simulator was compared and the study obtained the following
results:
1. 37% fewer errors
2. 27% faster
3. 26% improvement over those in the
control group who didn’t play Video Games
For those
who are nostalgic about the Nintendo Wii and Gamecube, here’s a quick Video for
Super Monkey Ball below.
You can
see why Surgeons who are Games would benefit from this Game. The moves required
would definately boost your hand-eye coordination. It’s kinda like how I play
Tetris and Star Defender before I start blogging; a little warm up before my
fingers start banging away at my laptop, making me remember my shortcuts better
and type faster as explained in my blog
article entitled “How
to use Windows Shortcuts to be a more proficient Writer”
Dr. James
Rosser has been touting the benefits of playing Video Games before Surgery ever
since as stated in “Surgeons
Who Play Video Games Err Less”, published April 7, 2004 By Digital Trends
Staff, DigitalTrends. He’s even gotten the Celebration Health's Nicholson Center Hospital in Kissimmee,
Florida to outfit their Surgeons’ lounge with a Video Gaming Lounge!
This is a
direct application of his study, as the Gaming Lounge allows four (4) Surgeons
at a time can prep for Surgery by playing Video Games for at least six (6)
minutes before performing Surgery as stated in the article “SURGEONS
THAT PLAY VIDEO GAMES HAVE BETTER RESULTS”, published October 11, 2013 By
Ryan Fleming, DigitalTrends.
Video Games,
especially 3D Motion Controlled Games such as Nintendo Wii and the Microsoft
Kinect, are already being used in training Doctors to do Heart Surgery as well
as reduce patient re-infection as stated in my blog article entitled “Microsoft Kinect used to
Teach Aneurysm Surgical procedures - A Gross Anatomy Future controlled by Voice
and Gestures”.
As
such, it’s great to hear more positive news on the use of Video Games to
enhance the Medical Profession. Best of all, this study can benefit Doctors
doing Surgery here in Jamaica as well as around the world, as Super Monkey Ball
can be easily downloaded and set up in a Gamin Lounge similar to that at the Celebration Health's Nicholson Center
Hospital in Kissimmee, Florida.
As for Medical Doctors and fans of Super
Monkey Ball, here’s the link to download (read torrent!) the Game or buy it if
you have a Credit Card pay the US$48.99 to buy it from Amazon:
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