A quality improvement study on avoidable stressors and countermeasures affecting surgical motor performance and...

Area of Science:

• Surgical education and performance psychology.
• Cognitive science and auditory perception.

Background:

• Surgical performance relies on speed and accuracy.
• Understanding stress impacts on surgeons is crucial for training and patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how auditory and mental stress affect surgical performance (speed and accuracy).
• To determine the impact of music on surgical performance and learning.
• To correlate psychometric measures with music's role in surgeons' lives.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-one surgeons performed standardized tasks on a VR laparoscopic simulator.
• Tasks were conducted under conditions of silence, auditory stress, classical music, and mental loading.
• Performance was measured for speed and accuracy, with tasks repeated for memory consolidation assessment.
• Surgical performance was correlated with the Musical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ).

Main Results:

• Mental loading significantly impaired surgical accuracy, speed, and recall compared to auditory stress.
• Classical music initially showed minimal performance decline but significantly improved memory consolidation.
• Surgeons with higher musical commitment (MEQ scores) performed worse under mental loading.

Conclusions:

• Mental distraction and auditory stress detrimentally affect surgical learning and performance.
• Classical music, when used appropriately, can enhance surgical memory consolidation.
• Psychological assessments of musical background may help predict surgeons' performance and learning under stress.