Changes in attentional resources during the acquisition of laparoscopic surgical skills

Abstract

Background Increasing familiarity and practice might free up mental resources during laparoscopic surgical skills training. The aim of the study was to track changes in mental resource allocation during acquisition of laparoscopic surgical skills. Methods Medical students with no previous experience in laparoscopic surgery took part in a 5-week laparoscopic training curriculum. At the beginning and end of the training period, one of the training tasks was combined with a secondary auditory detection task that required pressing a foot switch for defined target tones, creating a dual-task situation. During execution of the two concurrent tasks, continuous electroencephalographic measurements were made, with special attention to the P300 component, an index of mental resources. Accuracy and reaction times of the secondary task were determined. Results All 14 participants successfully completed the training curriculum. Target times for successful completion of individual tasks decreased significantly during training sessions (P <0.001 for all tasks). Comparing results before and after training showed a significant decrease in event-related brain potential amplitude at the parietal electrode cluster (P300 component, W = 67, P = 0.026), but there were no differences in accuracy (percentage correct responses: W = 48, P = 0.518) or reaction times (W = 42, P = 0.850) in the auditory detection task. Conclusion The P300 decrease in the secondary task over training demonstrated a shift of mental resources to the primary task: the surgical exercise. This indicates that, with more practice, mental resources are freed up for additional tasks.

Investigating the attentional focus to workplace-related soundscapes in a complex audio-visual-motor task using EEG

“…Electroencephalography (EEG) can be used to measure auditory attention continuously, objectively, and without the interruption of a person. Mobile EEG systems allow to study the brain in a working environment rather than in the lab (Wascher et al, 2014 , 2021 ; Hölle et al, 2021 ) and has already been used to assess performance during laparoscopic training and simulation (Pugh et al, 2020 ; Shafiei et al, 2021 ; Thomaschewski et al, 2021 ; Maier-Hein et al, 2022 ; Suárez et al, 2022 ). Thus, with EEG we want to study auditory attention in the operating room and understand when sounds become a burden.…”

Sound perception in realistic surgery scenarios: Towards EEG-based auditory work strain measures for medical personnel

“…In the complex environment of surgical operations, understanding the impact of varying cognitive demand on performance and sound distraction is crucial for both patient safety and the efficiency of medical procedures 7,12 . Traditional studies varied the demand by employing dual-task methodologies, where participants are required to engage in a primary task while also responding to secondary stimuli, to study the interference of additional cognitive demands on task performance [31][32][33][34][35] . However, such approaches may not accurately reflect the nuanced cognitive challenges inherent to surgical tasks, where the demand is often internalized and involves the simultaneous management of multiple streams, such as concentrating on the procedure while blending out distractions, without overt responses.…”

Investigating the attentional focus to workplace-related soundscapes in a complex audio-visual-motor task using EEG

“…Electroencephalography (EEG) can be used to measure auditory attention continuously, objectively and without the interruption of a person. Mobile EEG systems allow to study the brain in a working environment rather than in the lab (Hölle, Meekes, & Bleichner, 2021; Wascher, Heppner, & Hoffmann, 2014; Wascher et al, 2021) and has already been used to assess performance during laparoscopic training (Shafiei et al, 2021; Suárez et al, 2022; Thomaschewski et al, 2021). Thus, with EEG we want to study auditory attention in the operating room and understand when sounds become a burden.…”