Content and construct validation of a robotic surgery curriculum using an electromagnetic instrument tracker

Area of Science:

• Robotics in Surgery
• Surgical Education
• Medical Device Technology

Background:

• Robot-assisted surgery adoption is rapid, necessitating effective training for novice surgeons.
• Current da Vinci robot systems lack accessible objective metrics for proficiency assessment.
• Objective metrics like economy of motion are crucial for evaluating surgical skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate a robotic surgery curriculum using an objective proficiency metric capture system.
• To assess the utility of the trakSTAR™ Tool Tip Tracker for quantifying robotic surgical skills.
• To provide a cost-effective solution for objective assessment in robotic surgery training.

Main Methods:

• 10 subjects were divided into novice and experienced surgical groups.
• Subjects performed three technical skills modules (block transfer, suturing, ring transfer) on the da Vinci robot.
• The trakSTAR™ device tracked instruments to record task time and path length for economy of motion calculations.

Main Results:

• Experienced surgeons significantly outperformed novice surgeons across all three tasks.
• The experienced group demonstrated superior performance in objective metrics.
• Surgeons found the simulator platform valuable for training and recommended its integration into residency programs.

Conclusions:

• An off-the-shelf instrument tracking system can effectively validate robotic surgery curricula.
• This technology enables objective assessment of surgical trainees.
• The system offers a means for credentialing bodies to objectively evaluate staff seeking robotic surgery privileges.