Controller size matters: User proficiency is affected by endoscopic controller size.

Area of Science:

• Medical Devices
• Surgical Technology
• Human Factors Engineering

Background:

• Traditional endoscope controllers use a one-size-fits-all design.
• This design may not suit the diverse modern workforce in endoscopy.
• The study investigates the impact of controller size on user proficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if endoscopic controller size affects user proficiency, independent of dexterity.
• To evaluate the influence of hand size on performance with different controller sizes.

Main Methods:

• 54 endoscopically naive participants underwent a baseline dexterity test.
• Participants performed simulated endoscopic and bronchoscopic exercises with large and small controllers.
• Stratification was based on surgical glove size (≥7.5 and <7.5) and gender.

Main Results:

• Longer endoscopy times were observed in participants with smaller glove sizes (<7.5) and females.
• Participants with smaller glove sizes exhibited better baseline dexterity.
• No significant difference in bronchoscopy time was found based on glove size.

Conclusions:

• Larger hand sizes correlated with higher proficiency using larger endoscopic controllers, even with lower dexterity.
• This size advantage was less apparent with smaller controllers.
• Endoscopic controller designs should be modified to accommodate a wider range of provider hand sizes for improved performance.