Evidence for technology-enhanced basic robotic skills training is concentrated at Kirkpatrick level 2, with no studies reporting transfer to operative behaviour or patient outcomes¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · quant-synthesis r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Across the 17 included studies, sixteen reported Kirkpatrick level 2 (learning) outcomes and one reported only level 1 (reaction) data; no study reported level 3 or level 4 outcomes. → Shakir T 2026 q3 i? The review judges certainty of evidence low to very low across outcome domains, including very low for TTC, validated rating-tool scores, skill retention and user acceptability. → Shakir T 2026 (2)

Evidence¶

Shakir T 2026¶

Shakir T, Lingam G, Boal M, Francis N, Chand M. (2026). Technology-enhanced training in basic robotic surgical skills: a systematic review. Journal of Robotic Surgery. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11701-026-03633-w

q3 · i? · review · r3

The review's own synthesis mapped all 17 included studies' reported outcomes onto the Kirkpatrick model; sixteen studies reported level 2 outcomes such as simulator scores and validated rating tools, and one single-arm study reported only Likert-based usability ratings.

"No study reported level 3 (transfer to operative behaviour) or level 4 (patient-level) outcomes."

Shakir T 2026 (2)¶

Shakir T, Lingam G, Boal M, Francis N, Chand M. (2026). Technology-enhanced training in basic robotic surgical skills: a systematic review. Journal of Robotic Surgery. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11701-026-03633-w

q3 · i? · quant-synthesis · r2

The review's GRADE appraisal (Supplementary Appendix S2) of certainty per outcome domain, reported in the risk-of-bias and certainty section. No included study provided evidence on operative-skill transfer or patient-level outcomes.

"the certainty of evidence was low for composite simulator score, force application, and learning-curve outcomes, and very low for TTC, kinematic precision, validated rating-tool scores, skill retention, and user acceptability."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Outcome evaluation of AI-generated virtual patients in HPE is concentrated at Kirkpatrick level 1, with no studies reporting level 3 or 4 outcomes — related
• Evidence on transfer to clinical behavior and patient outcomes is scarce: only 2 studies reached Kirkpatrick level 3 and 1 reached level 4 — related
• Multimodal feedback systems produced greater simulator score improvements than conventional feedback in basic robotic skills training — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Kirkpatrick's four levels of evidence can be applied to RAS training, with level 2 equating to RAS skills assessed with validated scoring systems during simulation. — related
• No included SDL studies measured Kirkpatrick Level 4 (patient/system) outcomes — related
• All included studies performed outcome evaluations at the reaction and/or learning levels of Kirkpatrick's framework. — related
• Fewer studies assessed Kirkpatrick level 3 behaviour and level 4 patient outcomes, and higher‐level feature combinations remain unclear — related