Spatial Learning
Conditions
Brief summary
Surgical residents from a single tertiary medical center were divided into 2 groups. All residents performed 2 tasks on a Da Vinci robotic simulator system after which they were either given a real training session in spatial skills (study group) or shown a short presentation regarding robotic surgery. After training/watching the presentation, they repeated the for mentioned tasks on the robotic simulator. Improvement in surgeon performance, especially regarding tissue damage was documented.
Detailed description
Importance: Robot-assisted surgery is becoming the mainstay of modern surgery. Efficient training techniques are essential for enhanced performance. Optimal performance during a surgical task is key to successful surgery and minimal adverse events. Objective: To introduce and examine a single session of spatial skill training as an efficient means of improving surgical suturing performance in robot-assisted surgery. Design: Forty-one surgical residents will be randomly assigned to training and control conditions. (1) participants will perform two da-Vinci skills simulator (dVSS) tasks to determine baseline performance. (2) the training group will undergo computer-based simulator training of spatial skills while the control group will engage in a neutral activity. (3) two dVSS tasks will be performed within 2 days of training completion to evaluate post-training performance. The experiment will be conducted until December 2018. Participants: A convenience sample comprised of 41 surgical residents with non-robotic surgical suturing skills.
Interventions
OTHERComputerized spatial skill training
The spatial skills training session consisted of six practice trials that were run in a sequence. The objective of each practice was to manipulate the simulated robotic arm to grab the cubes and move them to a desired location using keyboard keys. The participant was required to reach a decision based on the visual-spatial information, before initiating subsequent movements of the simulated robotic arm. Each practice trial presented an initial state of the cubes in front of the robotic arm, and a target position of the cubes.
OTHERWatching a presentation regarding robotic surgery
Watching a 20-35 minute long power-point presentation regarding the history of robotic surgery.
Sponsors
Rambam Health Care Campus
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
25 Years to 40 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Surgical Residents with no previous robotic surgery experience.
Exclusion criteria
* Non surgical residents.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Tissue piercing | up to 2 hours from enrollment | Number of times tissue was pierced during suturing |
| Tissue tearing | up to 2 hours from enrollment | Number of times tissue was teared during suturing |
Countries
Israel
Outcome results
None listed