A Comparison of Robotic Simulation Performance on Basic Virtual Reality Skills: Simulator Subjective Versus Objective...

Area of Science:

• Medical Simulation
• Surgical Education Technology
• Robotic Surgery Training

Background:

• Surgical education increasingly utilizes simulation for skill development.
• Robotic simulators offer objective performance metrics, complementing human assessment tools like the Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills (GEARS).

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the performance assessment metrics of robotic virtual reality simulators with validated human reviewer scores (GEARS).
• To identify consistencies and discrepancies between simulator-generated data and expert human evaluation in robotic surgery training.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, single-blinded, randomized study involving surgeons and surgical trainees.
• Participants performed a basic robotic task on two common simulators (dV-Trainer and da Vinci Skills Simulator).
• Simulator performance metrics were compared with Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills (GEARS) scores assigned by human reviewers using Spearman correlation.

Main Results:

• Strong correlations (rho ≥ 0.70, p < .0001) were found between specific simulator metrics and GEARS scores for efficiency, total score, and depth perception.
• Weaker correlations were observed for metrics related to bimanual dexterity, economy of motion, and robotic control.
• Significant variations exist between simulator-specific metrics and human expert judgment for certain performance domains.

Conclusions:

• While some robotic simulator metrics align well with human expert (GEARS) assessments, others do not.
• Identifying these matches and mismatches is crucial for optimizing robotic surgical simulator training and assessment protocols.
• Further refinement of simulator assessment tools may be needed to fully capture all aspects of surgical performance evaluated by human experts.