Could your phone make you a better surgeon? a trial tests mobile gaming as a training tool
NCT ID NCT07744399
First seen Aug 04, 2026 · Last updated Aug 05, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial explores whether playing mobile video games can improve laparoscopic surgical skills in medical students with no prior surgical experience. Thirty first- to third-year students are randomly assigned to either play specific mobile games for at least 30 minutes daily over three weeks or to avoid gaming. All participants receive standardized training on a laparoscopic simulator and are tested on tasks like hand-eye coordination and suture placement before and after the intervention. The goal is to see if inexpensive, widely available games could serve as a helpful supplement to surgical education.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Mobile video game training (DATA WING™ and Aim Lab Mobile™)
- What this could lead to
- If mobile gaming helps, it could offer a low-cost, accessible way to supplement surgical training for beginners.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early study with only 30 participants, so results may not apply broadly. Gaming might not translate to real surgical skill, and the trial is not designed to prove long-term benefits.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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30 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jan 2023
- Finished
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May 2023
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Medical students enrolled in the first, second, or third year of medical school. * No previous real surgical experience. * No previous virtual or laparoscopic simulation training experience. * Self-reported mobile game use of less than 3 hours per week before enrollment. * Ability and willingness to provide informed consent. * Voluntary participation in the study. Exclusion Criteria: * Previous real surgical experience. * Previous virtual or simulated surgical training. * Mobile game use of 3 hours or more per week before enrollment. * Failure or unwillingness to provide informed consent. * Withdrawal of consent during the study.
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Marmara University School of Medicine
Istanbul, Istanbul, 34854, Turkey (Türkiye)
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