Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 12, 2026

Using a Real-Time Locating System to Measure Walking Activity Associated with Wandering Behaviors Among Institutionalized Older Adults
Published on: February 8, 2019
The use of error analysis to assess resident performance
Anne-Lise D D'Angelo1, Katherine E Law2, Elaine R Cohen1
1Department of Surgery, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI.
Background:
The aim of this study was to assess validity of a human factors error assessment method for evaluating resident performance during a simulated operative procedure.
Methods:
Seven postgraduate year 4-5 residents had 30 minutes to complete a simulated laparoscopic ventral hernia (LVH) repair on day 1 of a national, advanced laparoscopic course. Faculty provided immediate feedback on operative errors and residents participated in a final product analysis of their repairs. Residents then received didactic and hands-on training regarding several advanced laparoscopic procedures during a lecture session and animate lab. On day 2, residents performed a nonequivalent LVH repair using a simulator. Three investigators reviewed and coded videos of the repairs using previously developed human error classification systems.
Results:
Residents committed 121 total errors on day 1 compared with 146 on day 2. One of 7 residents successfully completed the LVH repair on day 1 compared with all 7 residents on day 2 (P = .001). The majority of errors (85%) committed on day 2 were technical and occurred during the last 2 steps of the procedure. There were significant differences in error type (P ≤ .001) and level (P = .019) from day 1 to day 2. The proportion of omission errors decreased from day 1 (33%) to day 2 (14%). In addition, there were more technical and commission errors on day 2.
Conclusion:
The error assessment tool was successful in categorizing performance errors, supporting known-groups validity evidence. Evaluating resident performance through error classification has great potential in facilitating our understanding of operative readiness.
Related Concept Videos
Nursing Evaluation
Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching III: Evaluation and Documentation
Nurses can use several methods to evaluate patient outcomes. For example, oral questions can assess cognitive learning,...
Patient-centered Care
Statistical Analysis: Overview
One of the most commonly used statistical quantifiers is the mean, which is the ratio between the sum of the numerical values of all results and the...
Critical Thinking I
Methods of Documentation III: PIE
