Nintendio Wii Based Surgical Training Software Wii Surgeon Training in the Developing World

With all the astonishingly blinkered and wholly sensationalised reports
appearing almost weekly in certain elements of the press concerning how
computer gaming is ultimately responsible for just about every ailment
in today's society (from general anti-social behaviour to spates of mass
murder) its reassuring to know that soon you could go under the knife of
a surgeon who's at least in part honed their skills using Nintendo's Wii
console.

Following on from a study by the Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center,
which apparently proved that surgical residents performed better during
simulated surgery subsequent to playing on the Wii - specifically thanks
to using the Nintendo Wii's Wiimote controller - they are now reportedly
working on developing a new Wii-based software package that will serve
as a relatively low cost training solution for trainee surgeons in
developing countries.

According to the New Scientist, the study that served as the foundation
for the new software training package currently being developed, showed
that those that had 'warmed-up' using the Nintendo Wii 'scored 48 per
cent higher on tool control and performance (in subsequent simulated
surgery) than those without the Wii warm-up'.

So, next time you go in for an op be sure to ask whether your surgeon
has a Nintendo Wii. If the answer's yes, breathe easy. If the answer's
no it's reassuring to know that there's a 52% greater chance, based on
the above figures, that you could go in for a vasectomy and come out a
eunuch (gulp).