TY - JOUR T1 - Impact of video games on ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia skills JF - Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine JO - Reg Anesth Pain Med SP - 860 LP - 865 DO - 10.1136/rapm-2020-101641 VL - 45 IS - 11 AU - Atif Shafqat AU - Shumaila Mukarram AU - Nigel M Bedforth AU - Jonathan G Hardman AU - Robert A McCahon Y1 - 2020/11/01 UR - http://rapm.bmj.com/content/45/11/860.abstract N2 - Background There is an association between video game practice and laparoscopic expertize in trainee surgeons. Ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia has many parallels with laparoscopic surgery. The aim of this study was to explore whether video game experience is associated with enhanced performance in a simulated ultrasound-guided task in novice operators.Methods In this prospective observational study, 60 medical student volunteers were recruited. Following characterization of video game experience, they underwent an assessment of visuospatial abilities. Following standardized teaching, the recruits’ technical performance of an ultrasound-guided needle task was assessed for overall quality by global rating scale (GRS).Results Out of a total possible GRS score of 35, gamers compared with non-gamers demonstrated 5.2 (95% CI 1.9 to 8.4) units of better performance. Gamers also performed better in mental rotation test scores (difference 4.1, 95% CI 1.2 to 7.0) .Conclusion Video game practice is associated with increased mental rotation ability and enhanced technical performance in a simulated ultrasound-guided task. ER -