Metrics and motion analysis for assessment of surgical skills

Pressure has grown over the past decade to provide more rigorous and standardized testing of surgical trainees at both higher and lower levels. VR technologies appear to offer a solution but the cost of equipment and realism of the interface present major research challenges. The central requirement of simulation remains assessment, however, and the present study examines this issue within the context of surgical suturing skills. By tracking users during suturing tasks, we argue that errors in technique can be analysed by the examination of standard pattern spaces.