Metrics for Objective Assessment of Surgical Skills Workshop

Abstract

Abstract : On 9-10 July, 2001 the Metrics for Objective Assessment of Surgical Skills Workshop convened an international assemblage of subject matter experts in objective assessment of surgical technical skills and of representatives of relevant official bodies involved in surgical education, evaluation and certification. There have been recent advances in the educational science of objective assessment and the technology of medical modeling and simulation (with surrogate tissue, abstract objects or virtual reality (VR) systems) for training of technical skills. In addition, focus on identification and prevention of medical errors, the need for objective criteria for assessment of surgical skills and the increasing demand for accountability to the public has revealed that there is no infrastructure for the objective assessment of technical skills. Several investigators are validating many different systems for training and evaluation, using different tests, criteria, validation methods and even nomenclature. This workshop is an attempt to establish a standardization of nomenclature and assessment methodologies so the surgical education, training and evaluation community can communicate with a common language and have a common basis for comparing statistics from different centers. The results of this workshop are to be considered a first order approximation from the community of subject matter experts that can provide a straw man for future refinement.