Surgical simulators are playing an increasingly
important role in training and credentialing surgeons and
have a large potential role to play in designing and evaluating
expensive new surgical equipment (e.g., for minimally invasive
or microsurgical procedures). For both these purposes, it
is crucial to be able to guarantee that results obtained
in the simulator can be transferred to performance in the
operating room. We therefore propose, in a set of five interrelated
projects, to contribute to the standardization of surgical
training and skill evaluation by quantifying and optimizing
the fidelity of surgical simulators. The five projects are
as follows:
1. Develop a methodology for validating surgical
simulators based on kinematic similarities between how a
surgeon performs tasks on the simulator and in the operating
room.
2. Develop a means of quantifying surgical
performance on the simulator, accounting for effects on
O.R. time, surgical quality, susceptibility to error and
ergonomic stress.
3. Apply the validation methodology from step
1 to quantify the discrepancy between current dental simulators
and live operative performance, using the results to suggest
changes to the simulator.
4. Develop a quantitative measure for susceptibility
to error in the context of laparoscopic surgery based on
human reliability analysis.
5. Determine the effect of haptic (virtual
reality) interface specifications on simulator performance.
These projects will ultimately lead to benefits
for surgeons, through decreased risk of occupational injuries;
for patients, through better trained surgeons and the availability
of a broader range of minimally invasive techniques; and
for the healthcare system as a whole through decreased surgeon
training costs, more cost-effective equipment purchases,
decreased O.R. times and shorter lengths of stay in hospital.
