Visual spatial ability for surgical trainees: implications for learning endoscopic, laparoscopic surgery and other image-guided procedures

Henn, Patrick; Gallagher, Anthony G.; Nugent, Emmeline; Seymour, Neal E.; Haluck, Randy S.; Hseino, Hazem; Traynor, Oscar; Neary, Paul

doi:10.1007/s00464-018-6094-3

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…However, if VSA is only correlated with surgical performance in novices, it suggests that VSA may be a fluid, and trainable characteristic, and has the potential to be acquired throughout residency training with practice 3 We believe that if VSA is a trainable characteristic, high VSA should not be a requirement for those applying to surgical residencies. 12,15,53,108 To address this concern, future research should focus on correlating VSA to surgical performance across all levels of training. One way to achieve this would be to measure trainees' performance on a VSA test (e.g., MRT, CC Test, or CR Test) and performance on surgical simulations annually to identify a pattern across years of training.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Six other articles supported this notion due to the correlation between psychomotor ability and performance of surgical trainees found in the literature. 4,15,38,[87][88][89] Two articles describe a suite of tests that can be used to screen candidates. 90,91 However, thirteen studies suggested further research is required before VSA testing is incorporated into e116 surgical residency applications as there remains some conflicting evidence surrounding VSA and surgical performance.…”

Section: Theme One: Vsa and Surgical Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…7 As these techniques involve manipulating surgical instruments with a reduced visual field-challenging depth perception, 8 hand-eye coordination, 9,10 and awareness of spatial anatomy 11,12 -there is interest in the relevance of VSA in surgery, and how VSA may be integrated into surgical education. [13][14][15] VSA is comprised of many components, each of which can be assessed using a variety of measures (Appendix A). For example, visualization is often assessed through the Mental Rotation Test (MRT), which requires subjects to mentally rotate objects around the vertical and/or horizontal axis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Recent evidence on visual-spatial ability in surgical education: A scoping review

et al. 2020

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Background: Understanding the relationships between structures is critical for surgical trainees. However, the heterogeneity of the literature on visual-spatial ability (VSA) in surgery makes it challenging for educators to make informed decisions on incorporating VSA into their programs. We conducted a scoping review of the literature on VSA in surgery to provide a map of the literature and identify where gaps still exist for future research. Methods: We searched databases until December 2019 using keywords related to VSA and surgery. The resulting articles were independently screened by two researchers for inclusion in our review. Results: We included 117 articles in the final review. Fifty-nine articles reported significant correlations between VSA tests and surgical performance, and this association is supported by neuroimaging studies. However, it remains unclear whether VSA should be incorporated into trainee selection and whether there is a benefit of three-dimensional (3D) over two-dimensional (2D) training. Conclusions: It appears that VSA correlates with surgical performance in the simulated environment, particularly for novice learners. Based on our findings, we make suggestions for how surgical educators may use VSA to support novice learners. Further research should determine whether VSA remains correlated to surgical performance when trainees move into the operative environment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theme One: Vsa and Surgical Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Recent evidence on visual-spatial ability in surgical education: A scoping review

et al. 2020

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“…The ability to perceive the relationships between structures as well as the use of surgical instruments is of crucial importance among healthcare workers and especially among medical care professionals (i.e., surgeons, nurses). Healthcare workers are constantly relying on their visuospatial abilities in order to care for their patients as they are required to use techniques that involve manipulation of medical instruments ( 16 ), they need to have excellent hand-eye coordination ( 17 ) and great perception of spatial anatomy ( 18 ). Furthermore, considering the constant technological advances that necessitate the ability of healthcare workers to learn new technical skills, visuospatial abilities can be of importance for acquiring these skills ( 19 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Burnout and Cognitive Functioning: Are We Underestimating the Role of Visuospatial Functions?

Koutsimani

Montgomery

2022

Front. Psychiatry

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Job burnout is a psychological syndrome which results from chronic occupational stress and cognitive impairments are among its negative consequences. The demands of the COVID-19 pandemic have challenged the healthcare system increasing the risk of job burnout among healthcare professionals. The studies conducted so far have mainly focused on the effects of job burnout on executive functions. Visuospatial functions are a cognitive domain which plays an important role in healthcare workers' optimal performance. Healthcare workers are constantly relying on their visuospatial abilities in order to care for their patients as they are required to use techniques that involve manipulation of medical instruments, they need to have excellent hand-eye coordination and great perception of spatial anatomy, factors that can affect healthcare workers' performance is of significance and can put patient safety at risk. However, our understanding of how visuospatial functions are being affected in job burnout is limited. The scope of this mini-review is to examine the evidence concerning the relationship of job burnout with visuospatial functions. The sparsity of the relevant empirical evidence does not allow for definite conclusions. However, given the implications of diminished visuospatial abilities in patient safety we highlight the need for studies exploring the effects of job burnout on visuospatial functions. Limitations of studies are discussed.

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“…Furthermore, clinicians need to receive three-dimensional (3D) spatial thinking training before performing endoscopic surgery. 1,2 Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) treatment is an important ABBREVIATIONS 2D = two-dimensional; 3D = three-dimensional; LDH = lumbar disc herniation; PETD = percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal discectomy; VR = virtual reality.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficacy of a virtual reality–based basic and clinical fused curriculum for clinical education on the lumbar intervertebral disc

Gan

Wang

et al. 2021

Neurosurgical Focus

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OBJECTIVE Today, minimally invasive procedures have become mainstream surgical procedures. Percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal discectomy for lumbar disc herniation (LDH) requires profound knowledge of the laparoscopic lumbar anatomy. Immersive virtual reality (VR) provides three-dimensional patient-specific models to help in the process of preclinical surgical preparation. In this study, the authors investigated the efficacy of VR application in LDH for training orthopedic residents and postgraduates. METHODS VR images of the lumbar anatomy were created with immersive VR and mAnatomy software. The study was conducted among 60 residents and postgraduates. A questionnaire was developed to assess the effect of and satisfaction with this VR-based basic and clinical fused curriculum. The teaching effect was also evaluated through a postlecture test, and the results of the prelecture surgical examination were taken as baselines. RESULTS All participants in the VR group agreed that VR-based education is practical, attractive, and easy to operate, compared to traditional teaching, and promotes better understanding of the anatomical structures involved in LDH. Learners in the VR group achieved higher scores on an anatomical and clinical fusion test than learners in the traditional group (84.67 ± 14.56 vs 76.00 ± 16.10, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS An immersive VR-based basic and clinical fused curriculum can increase residents’ and postgraduates’ interest and support them in mastering the structural changes and complicated symptoms of LDH. However, a simplified operational process and more realistic haptics of the VR system are necessary for further surgical preparation and application.

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Visual spatial ability for surgical trainees: implications for learning endoscopic, laparoscopic surgery and other image-guided procedures

Cited by 19 publications

References 23 publications

Recent evidence on visual-spatial ability in surgical education: A scoping review

Recent evidence on visual-spatial ability in surgical education: A scoping review

Burnout and Cognitive Functioning: Are We Underestimating the Role of Visuospatial Functions?

Efficacy of a virtual reality–based basic and clinical fused curriculum for clinical education on the lumbar intervertebral disc

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