Enhancing Procedural Proficiency in Interventional Radiology: A Prospective Observational Study on Cross-Training and Gender Perspectives in Simulator-Based Education

Objectives This study evaluates the effectiveness of virtual reality enhanced simulation in training medical students for procedural proficiency. It emphasises gender disparities in skill acquisition and confidence-building. Additionally, a cross-training component assesses skill transferability between different virtual interventional radiology procedures. Methods 20 medical students were randomised into 2 groups (n = 10 each), training on an advanced virtual reality simulator for interventional radiology. After 5 sessions on their primary case, participants switched cases for a sixth cross-training session. Performance was assessed through virtual fluoroscopy time. Pre- and post-training questions evaluated skill development, confidence levels, and career perceptions. Results Virtual fluoroscopy times decreased significantly over 5 sessions, with a mean reduction of 66% (23.85 to 8.06 minutes, p = 0.0023), indicating improved procedural efficiency. Cross-training demonstrated effective skill transfer, with virtual fluoroscopy times approximately 50% shorter compared to the initial training of the alternate group (p = 0.029, n = 10; p = 0.035, n = 8). Female participants (n = 11) reported lower confidence levels in in self-assessed manual dexterity (p = 0.019) but showed comparable or superior performance improvements to males (n = 9) by the end of training. Conclusion Simulation effectively enhances procedural expertise and skill adaptability in a virtual environment. Gender-specific findings highlight the need for tailored training strategies to address confidence gaps and support diversity in Interventional Radiology. Advances in knowledge Cross-training enhances skill transferability across different interventional radiology procedures. Despite gender-specific differences in perceptions of manual dexterity, performance between genders remains comparable. Enhancing Procedural Proficiency in Interventional Radiology A Prospective Observational Study on Cross-Training and Exploratory Gender Perspectives in Simulator-Based Education