The next time you prepare to go under the knife, ask the surgeon whether he has played any video games lately.

If he has, rest easy.

A study conducted in Phoenix involving eight trainee doctors at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center found that those who played video games for an hour or so before surgery were almost 50 percent more proficient than the doctors who did not play games.

The tests involved “virtual” surgeries using three-dimensional compuer models that simulated the real thing. And the games were played on Nintendo’s Wii, the motion-sensitive system highlighting a wireless controller to direct on-screen action.

But the doctors didn’t swing the controller like a tennis racket or jab it around like a boxing glove; those kinds of games aren’t much benefit. The games that worked best demand fine, delicate hand movements.

One game the doctors played required guiding a digital marble through a 3D maze, which recreated movement particular to laparoscopic procedures — surgeries performed through small incisions with tools affixed to rods.

The discovery means doctors and trainees can begin training their hands long before stepping into a real surgical procedure. And because the Wii costs only about $250, it could substitute for more expensive virtual testing tools wherever those tools are difficult or impossible to obtain.

So, the next time you’re due to go in for surgery, ask the doctor first whether he has played with a Wii lately. And if not, go buy him one. It might be the only expense worth seeing on your medical bill.