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Feasibility of eye-tracking technology to quantify expertise in ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia

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Abstract

Ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia (UGRA) requires an advanced procedural skill set that incorporates both sonographic knowledge of relevant anatomy as well as technical proficiency in needle manipulation in order to achieve a successful outcome. Understanding how to differentiate a novice from an expert in UGRA using a quantifiable tool may be useful for comparing educational interventions that could improve the rate at which one develops expertise. Exploring the gaze pattern of individuals performing a task has been used to evaluate expertise in many different disciplines, including medicine. However, the use of eye-tracking technology has not been previously applied to UGRA. The purpose of this preliminary study is to establish the feasibility of applying such technology as a measurement tool for comparing procedural expertise in UGRA. eye-tracking data were collected from one expert and one novice utilizing Tobii Glasses 2 while performing a simulated ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral block in a gel phantom model. Area of interest fixations were recorded and heat maps of gaze fixations were created. Results suggest a potential application of eye-tracking technology in the assessment of UGRA learning and performance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

    T. Kyle Harrison, T. Edward Kim, Alex Kou, Cynthia Shum, Edward R. Mariano & Steven K. Howard

  2. Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care Service, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, 3801 Miranda Avenue (112A), Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA

    T. Kyle Harrison, T. Edward Kim, Alex Kou, Edward R. Mariano & Steven K. Howard

Authors
  1. T. Kyle Harrison
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  2. T. Edward Kim
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  3. Alex Kou
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  4. Cynthia Shum
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  5. Edward R. Mariano
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  6. Steven K. Howard
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Consortia

The ADAPT (Anesthesiology-Directed Advanced Procedural Training) Research Group

Corresponding author

Correspondence to T. Kyle Harrison.

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None.

Conflict of interest

Dr. Mariano has received unrestricted educational program funding paid to his institution from Halyard Health (formerly I-Flow; Lake Forest, CA, USA) and B Braun (Bethlehem, PA, USA). These companies had absolutely no input into any aspect of the present study conceptualization, design, and implementation; data collection, analysis and interpretation; or manuscript preparation. None of the other authors has any personal financial interests to disclose.

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Harrison, T., Kim, T., Kou, A. et al. Feasibility of eye-tracking technology to quantify expertise in ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia. J Anesth 30, 530–533 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00540-016-2157-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00540-016-2157-6

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