Assessment of central venous catheterization in a simulated model using a motion-tracking device: an experimental...

Area of Science:

• Medical Simulation
• Surgical Skills Assessment
• Medical Education Technology

Background:

• Central venous catheterization (CVC) is a fundamental medical procedure requiring specialized skills.
• Validated methodologies for assessing CVC procedural competency in simulated environments are limited.
• This study evaluates a novel motion tracking device for CVC skill assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the Imperial College Surgical Assessment Device (ICSAD) for measuring central venous catheterization (CVC) performance.
• To compare the ICSAD's motion analysis data with a validated Global Rating Scale (GRS).
• To establish the reliability and concurrent validity of ICSAD in a simulated CVC procedure.

Main Methods:

• Participants including medical students, residents, and expert anesthesiologists performed a simulated jugular CVC insertion.
• Technical skills were assessed using a validated Global Rating Scale (GRS).
• Motion analysis was performed using the Imperial College Surgical Assessment Device (ICSAD).
• Statistical analyses included Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and Spearman correlation.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in total path length and procedural time were observed between novice and expert groups.
• The ICSAD and GRS scores differentiated between skill levels, with some overlap between senior residents and experts.
• A strong negative correlation (Spearman's rho = -0.684, p < 0.001) was found between ICSAD and GRS scores.

Conclusions:

• The ICSAD is a valid tool for assessing jugular CVC skills in a simulated torso.
• ICSAD effectively differentiates between novice and expert performance.
• The device demonstrates concurrent validity by correlating with a validated Global Rating Scale.