Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 20, 2026
Simulator Training for Endovascular Neurosurgery
Published on: May 6, 2020
Objective evaluation of surgical competency for minimally invasive surgery with a collection of simple tests
Eliana Maria Gonzalez-Neira1, Claudia Patricia Jimenez-Mendoza1, Daniel R Suarez1
1Departamento de Ingeniería Industrial, Facultad de Ingeniería, Pontifica Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia.
Objective:
This study aims at determining if a collection of 16 motor tests on a physical simulator can objectively discriminate and evaluate practitioners' competency level, i.e. novice, resident, and expert.
Methods:
An experimental design with three study groups (novice, resident, and expert) was developed to test the evaluation power of each of the 16 simple tests. An ANOVA and a Student Newman-Keuls (SNK) test were used to analyze results of each test to determine which of them can discriminate participants' competency level.
Results:
Four of the 16 tests used discriminated all of the three competency levels and 15 discriminated at least two of the three groups (α= 0.05). Moreover, other two tests differentiate beginners' level from intermediate, and other seven tests differentiate intermediate level from expert.
Conclusion:
The competency level of a practitioner of minimally invasive surgery can be evaluated by a specific collection of basic tests in a physical surgical simulator. Reduction of the number of tests needed to discriminate the competency level of surgeons can be the aim of future research.
