Technology
Rewriting the future of surgical training
Ameen Mahmood and Professor Jag Dhanda look at how VR technology is transforming training and global access to surgery.
Virtual reality (VR) has moved beyond the realms of gaming and entertainment, now redefining how surgeons are trained. Today, a set of modified VR headsets are being used to train surgeons across the globe in complex surgical procedures. This is not only happening in high- end simulation centres and lecture theatres, but in resource-limited environments and conflict zones. At the heart of this transformation is a
UK-developed programme: Virtual Reality in Medicine and Surgery (VRiMS), founded, during the COVID-19 pandemic, by consultant maxillofacial surgeon, Professor Jagtar Dhanda. What began as a pioneering concept, when remote learning became a necessity, has evolved into a new model of surgical education: scalable and democratic. It has now grown into a global education platform with 11 international hubs, and a library of over 250 meticulously recorded VR surgical procedures. The programme aims to bridge geographical divides by enabling clinicians to access procedural teaching without stepping into an operating theatre. At the recent Annual Meeting of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and
Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS), its impact was formally presented, accompanied by data, testimonies, and a growing belief that surgical training will never be the same. The results are compelling. The evaluation, led by Imperial College London medical student, Ameen Mahmood, demonstrated that VR-based training not only improves procedural and anatomical understanding, but also significantly enhances confidence. “The data speaks for itself,” explains Mahmood. “Participants overwhelmingly rated the VR model as more effective than traditional surgical education. It’s not a novelty; it represents a fundamentally new way of standardising and democratising high-quality surgical training.”
Why surgery needed a new solution Traditional surgical education depends on three limited commodities: mentorship, case exposure, and physical space in operating theatres. A system inherently restricted by geography, availability, and resources. Access to complex cases is sporadic, theatre teaching is highly variable, with medical students and
trainees often finding themselves confined to the edge of the operating room. Overall, many trainees – particularly in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs) – face significant barriers in accessing surgical cases. Year 4 medical student, Nada Dahan commented: “As an aspiring surgeon one of the hardest things is actually seeing what’s happening in the operating theatre, you’re usually peering over shoulders trying to catch a glimpse.” These barriers are not trivial. The Royal College of Surgeons of England’s 2023 Workforce Census revealed that 61% of surgical trainees cited limited theatre exposure as a major barrier to progress. At the same time, the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery highlighted the urgent need to scale up current surgical training infrastructure and standardise access. We are facing a training crisis. “We have been trying to fix a 21st-century
workforce challenge using 19th-century teaching methods,” says Professor Dhanda. “VR has changed that. It gives every learner the best seat in the house.”
Turning gaming hardware into a surgical classroom VRiMS captures a surgeon’s-eye view of operations using 360-degree cameras, surgeon- worn head-mounted cameras, microphone capture of intraoperative commentary and interactive digital overlays. Unlike conventional operative footage, this setup captures multiple points of view, including subtle but critical details such as tissue planes, instrument handling, positioning, and technique. The system does not require complex set-up. All that is needed is a gaming-compatible VR headset or when that is not possible, learners can view the content from a smartphone or laptop. That accessibility has proven revolutionary. The result: learners can ‘step’ into an
A trainee during a VRiMS workshop, viewing 360° VR footage of a surgical procedure.
operation, focus on anatomical landmarks, analyse the sterile layout and revisit complex procedural stages repeatedly — a feature
February 2026 I
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