Investigating the impact of innate dexterity skills and visuospatial aptitude on the performance of baseline laparoscopic skills in veterinary students

Validation of Training and Acquisition of Surgical Skills in Veterinary Laparoscopic Surgery: A Review

At present, veterinary laparoscopic surgery training is lacking in experiences that provide a controlled and safe environment where surgeons can practice specific techniques while receiving experts' feedback. Surgical skills acquired using simulators must be certified and transferable to the operating room. Most models for practicing laparoscopic skills in veterinary minimally invasive surgery are general task trainers and consist of boxes (simulators) designed for training human surgery. These simulators exhibit several limitations, including anatomic species and procedural differences, as well as general psychomotor training rather than in vivo skill recreation. In this paper, we review the existing methods of training, evaluation, and validation of technical skills in veterinary laparoscopic surgery. Content includes global and specific scales, and the conditions a structured curriculum should meet for improving the performance of novice surgeons during and after training. A focus on trainee-specific assessment and tailored-technical instruction should influence training programs. We provide a comprehensive analysis of current theories and concepts related to the evaluation and validation of simulators for training laparoscopic surgery in small animal surgery. We also highlight the need to develop new training models and complementary evaluation scales for the validation of training and acquisition of basic and advanced skills in veterinary laparoscopic surgery.

Impact of Video Game Cross-Training on Learning Bronchoscopy. A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Video game playing requires many of the same skill sets as medical procedures such as bronchoscopy. These include visual–spatial awareness, rapid decision making, and psychomotor skills. The role of video game cross-training on learning bronchoscopy is unknown.

Objective: We studied the association of baseline video gaming experience with, and the impact of short-term video game playing on, visual–spatial awareness and acquisition of basic bronchoscopic skills among medical trainees.

Methods: Bronchoscopy-naive medical trainees underwent formal didactic and hands-on instruction on basic bronchoscopy, along with a baseline assessment measuring bronchoscopic and visual–spatial skills. Half of the subjects were subsequently randomized to playing a videogame (Rocket League) for 8 weeks. All participants returned at 4 weeks for a refresher course and at 8 weeks for a final assessment.

Results: Thirty subjects completed the study, 16 of them in the intervention arm who all met the minimum video game playing time requirement. At baseline, video game players had significantly lower airway collision rates (6.82 collisions/min vs. 11.64 collisions/min; P = 0.02) and higher scores on the Purdue Visual Spatial Test: Visualization of Rotations test (27.5 vs. 23.54; P = 0.04). At completion, the intervention group had no significant differences in airway collisions, bronchoscopy time, or Bronchoscopy Skills and Tasks Assessment Tool scores. There was moderate correlation between airway collision rate and mean Purdue Visual Spatial Test: Visualization of Rotations score (Spearman’s rho, −0.59; P < 0.001).

Conclusion: At baseline, learners with former video game–playing experience have higher visual–spatial awareness and fewer airway collisions. The impact of video game playing as an aid to simulation-based bronchoscopic education is uncertain.

Hands train the brain-what is the role of hand tremor and anxiety in undergraduate microsurgical skills?

Introduction

Physiological hand tremor occurs naturally, due to oscillations of the upper extremities. Tremor can be exacerbated by stress and anxiety, interfering with fine motor tasks and potentially impact on surgical performance, particularly in microsurgery. We investigated the link between tremor, anxiety and performance in a neurosurgical module as part of an international surgical course.

Methods

Essential Skills in the Management of Surgical Cases (ESMSC) course recruits medical students from European Union (EU) medical schools. Students are asked to suture the dura mater in an ex vivo swine model, of which the first suture completed was assessed. Questionnaires were distributed before and after the module, eliciting tremor risk factors, self-perception of tremor and anxiety. Johnson O’Connor dexterity pad was used to objectively measure dexterity. Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS) was used to assess skills-based performance. Anxiety was assessed using the Westside Test Anxiety Scale (WTAS). Tremor was evaluated by four qualified neurosurgeons.

Results

Forty delegates participated in the study. Overall performance decreased with greater subjective perception of anxiety (p = 0.032, rho = − 0.392). Although increasing scores for tremor at rest and overall WTAS score were associated with decreased performance, this was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Tremor at rest did not affect dexterity (p = 0.876, rho = − 0.027).

Conclusions

Physiological tremor did not affect student performance and microsurgical dexterity in a simulation-based environment. Self-perception of anxiety affected performance in this module, suggesting that more confident students perform better in a simulated neurosurgical setting.