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High-level visual-spatial ability for novices correlates with performance in a visual-spatial complex surgical simulator task

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Abstract

Background

This study addresses how high-level visual-spatial ability of surgical novices is related to performance of two simulator tasks with (KSA) and without (MIST) anatomic graphics and haptic feedback, differing in visual-spatial complexity.

Methods

Visual-spatial test scores assessed by Mental Rotation Test (MRT) and BasIQ and performance scores for Instrument Navigation (IN) in Key Surgical Activities (Procedicus KSA) and Manipulate and Diathermy (MD) in Minimally Invasive Surgical Trainer (Procedicus MIST) were correlated for 54 Swedish surgical novices.

Results

Significant Pearson’s r correlations were obtained between visual-spatial scores measured by MRT-C and total score from the last trial for IN (r = 0.278, p < 0.05). Visual-spatial scores (measured by BasIQ) also correlated with total score from the first trial (r = 0.443, p < 0.05) and from the last trial (r = 0.489, p < 0.05).

Conclusion

High-level visual-spatial ability is important for surgical novices to possess in the early training phase of a visual-spatial complex task in KSA.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by research funds at the Karolinska Institutet and Huddinge University Hospital and Grant 220-155600 from EU Goal1: North of Sweden. The sponsors had no role in this study. We thank Lars Särnå and Kai Mäkinen (biomedical engineers) at the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden, for excellent technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Divison of Surgery, Center for Advanced Medical Simulation, Center for Surgical Sciences, Karolinska Institutet at Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, SE 141 86, Stockholm, Sweden

    L. Hedman & A. Kjellin

  2. Divison of Orhopaedics, Center for Advanced Medical Simulation, Center for Surgical Sciences, Karolinska Institutet at Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, SE 141 86, Stockholm, Sweden

    P. Ström, T. Wredmark & L. Felländer-Tsai

  3. Department of Psychology, Umeå University, SE 901 87, Umeå, Sweden

    P. Andersson

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  1. L. Hedman
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  2. P. Ström
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  3. P. Andersson
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  4. A. Kjellin
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  5. T. Wredmark
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  6. L. Felländer-Tsai
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Correspondence to L. Hedman.

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Hedman, L., Ström, P., Andersson, P. et al. High-level visual-spatial ability for novices correlates with performance in a visual-spatial complex surgical simulator task. Surg Endosc 20, 1275–1280 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-005-0036-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-005-0036-6

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