Eye tracking in cytotechnology education: "visualizing" students becoming experts.

Area of Science:

• Medical technology
• Ophthalmology
• Cytotechnology

Background:

• Cytotechnology (CT) training involves developing crucial screening skills for examining cytological images.
• Traditional methods for assessing these skills can be subjective and time-consuming.
• Eye-tracking technology offers a potential objective tool for evaluating visual attention and screening proficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the utility of eye-tracking technology in assessing the development of screening skills in cytotechnology students.
• To compare the eye movement patterns and interpretation accuracy of students at different training stages with those of experienced cytotechnologists.

Main Methods:

• Sixteen cytotechnology students and three cytotechnologists evaluated 25 digital images of gynecologic cytology specimens.
• Eye movements were recorded using a Mirametrix S2 eye tracker and EyeWorks software.
• Student performance was assessed at three intervals during their 1-year training program.

Main Results:

• Student agreement with expert interpretations improved from 0.62 in early training to 0.70 by the end.
• Mean task duration decreased from 34.6 to 24.9 seconds, and fixation points reduced from 52.2 to 35.3.
• Gaze observations on regions of interest significantly decreased, indicating more efficient visual scanning.

Conclusions:

• Eye-tracking data demonstrated significant skill progression in cytotechnology students throughout their training.
• The findings suggest that eye-tracking is a valuable tool for objectively evaluating and monitoring the development of cytotechnology screening skills.
• The study indicates that students' screening behaviors approach those of practicing cytotechnologists by the end of the training program.