Real-time Visualisation and Analysis of Clinicians' Performance during Palpation in Physical Examinations
IEEE Transactions on Bio-Medical Engineering
|July 12, 2018
Summary
A new sensor system quantifies Digital Rectal Examination (DRE) performance by analyzing duration, steps, and pressure. It revealed differences in task execution among specialties, with Urologists being the most consistent.
Area of Science:
- Medical technology
- Surgical simulation
- Clinical skills assessment
Background:
- Palpation skills, especially during Digital Rectal Examinations (DRE), are difficult to teach and assess.
- There is a lack of objective metrics to define adequate DRE performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a system for quantitative analysis of DRE performance.
- To objectively characterize expert performance and identify differences between clinical specialties.
Main Methods:
- A novel system with finger-mounted position and pressure sensors was developed.
- Twenty experts from four specialties performed DREs on a benchtop model using the system.
- A Markov model was used to analyze task execution and applied pressure.
Main Results:
- The system enabled visualization and analysis of DRE performance.
- General Practitioners and Nurses performed more tasks than Urologists and Colorectal Surgeons.
- Urologists performed the fewest tasks but demonstrated the highest consistency.
Conclusions:
- The sensor system provides objective insights into DRE performance, enabling comparison between specialties.
- The Markov model can serve as a benchmark for evaluating novice performance.
- This technology can be extended to assess other physical examinations on real patients.
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