Mental practice with interactive 3D visual aids enhances surgical performance

Marina Yiasemidou,David Jayne,Mark-Mon Williams,Danilo Miskovic,Faisal Mushtaq,Daniel Glassman,Christos Athanasiou

doi:10.1007/s00464-017-5459-3

Marina Yiasemidou, David Jayne + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-017-5459-3

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Abstract

BackgroundEvidence suggests that Mental Practice (MP) could be used to finesse surgical skills. However, MP is cognitively demanding and may be dependent on the ability of individuals to produce mental images. In this study, we hypothesised that the provision of interactive 3D visual aids during MP could facilitate surgical skill performance.Methods20 surgical trainees were case-matched to one of three different preparation methods prior to performing a simulated Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy (LC). Two intervention groups underwent a 25-minute MP session; one with interactive 3D visual aids depicting the relevant surgical anatomy (3D-MP group, n = 5) and one without (MP-Only, n = 5). A control group (n = 10) watched a didactic video of a real LC. Scores relating to technical performance and safety were recorded by a surgical simulator.ResultsThe Control group took longer to complete the procedure relative to the 3D&MP condition (p = .002). The number of movements was also statistically different across groups (p = .001), with the 3D&MP group making fewer movements relative to controls (p = .001). Likewise, the control group moved further in comparison to the 3D&MP condition and the MP-Only condition (p = .004). No reliable differences were observed for safety metrics.ConclusionThese data provide evidence for the potential value of MP in improving performance. Furthermore, they suggest that 3D interactive visual aids during MP could potentially enhance performance, beyond the benefits of MP alone. These findings pave the way for future RCTs on surgical preparation and performance.

Highlights

Evidence suggests that Mental Practice (MP) could be used to finesse surgical skills
3 School of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK. These data provide evidence for the potential value of MP in improving performance. They suggest that 3D interactive visual aids during MP could potentially enhance performance, beyond the benefits of MP alone
More recently its potential has been explored for explicit learning of surgical skills [6], but there remains a number of questions about MP’s effective implementation in the field of surgery, as studies had mixed results [7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15]

Summary

Introduction

Evidence suggests that Mental Practice (MP) could be used to finesse surgical skills. We hypothesised that the provision of interactive 3D visual aids during MP could facilitate surgical skill performance. Methods 20 surgical trainees were case-matched to one of three different preparation methods prior to performing a simulated Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy (LC). Two intervention groups underwent a 25-minute MP session; one with interactive 3D visual aids depicting the relevant surgical anatomy (3D-MP group, n = 5) and one without (MPOnly, n = 5). Scores relating to technical performance and safety were recorded by a surgical simulator. Results The Control group took longer to complete the procedure relative to the 3D&MP condition (p = .002). The number of movements was statistically different across groups (p = .001), with the 3D&MP group making fewer movements relative to controls (p = .001).

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion