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485
Optimizing Assessment of Surgical Knot Tying Skill
Elizabeth Huffman1, Nicholas Anton1, John Martin1
1Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Journal of Surgical Education
|June 14, 2020
Summary
A new, affordable knot tying board (KTB) measures tissue displacement, offering a better way to train surgical skills. Attending surgeons showed greater displacement, indicating expertise in tissue handling during knot tying.
Area of Science:
- Surgical Education
- Biomedical Engineering
- Surgical Skills Assessment
Background:
- Knot tying is a core surgical skill.
- Current models lack tissue respect assessment.
- Tissue displacement may indicate expertise and inform training.
Purpose of the Study:
- Develop a low-cost knot tying board (KTB).
- Objectively measure knot displacement.
- Assess knot displacement by surgical expertise level.
Main Methods:
- KTB integrated joystick potentiometers for displacement measurement.
- Standardized 1- and 2-handed knot tying techniques used.
- Compared time and displacement across junior residents, senior residents, and attending surgeons.
Main Results:
- KTB developed with 100 hours and $70.00.
- Attending surgeons exhibited greater vertical displacement (p < 0.05).
- Senior residents were faster but showed similar displacement to juniors.
Conclusions:
- Novel KTB measures knot displacement as a proxy for tissue handling.
- Vertical displacement is a sensitive metric for skill differentiation.
- KTB and metrics can enhance resident surgical skill development.
