Investigating Visual-Spatial and Psychomotor Skills during Training for Laparoscopic Surgery

Abstract

Minimally invasive surgery, using laparoscopic techniques, is the standard surgical approach for many operative procedures and its indications continue to expand. Although hands-on training in the operating room is the gold standard for teaching surgical residents these techniques, there has been increased focus on the use of surgical simulators as cost effective and safe alternatives to learning on real patients. On simulators, trainees can practice defined tasks that relate to and build skills that are essential in the modern operating theatre. This project will examine the wrist and hand motions used during laparoscopic manipulation on a previously validated box-trainer task and an interactive, combined manual dexterity-cognitive training, mixed-reality video game platform. The student’s objectives will be to refine and run participants through tasks from the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) and the video-gaming environment. They will record and examine the motions made by individuals and determine motion metrics such as position, velocity and acceleration to gauge the quality and skill level of movements performed by individuals.