Integration of a system for evaluating in a box trainer: Hybrid system for laparoscopic training

Abstract

In medicine, specifically in the area of minimally invasive surgery (MIS), there is a great need to develop new and accessible intelligent system for educational technology and evaluation methodologies to ensure that the surgeon dominates the laparoscopic technique. Innovative training systems have limited their academic impact, due inter alia to the high prices of acquisition and maintenance. The aim of the article is to show an option to record objectively the laparoscopic skills through a simple and affordable alternative to assess the resident surgeon their acquired laparoscopic skills. Metodology. A review of the actual systems and the adaptation of different tasks to a physical trainer were done. For each task, is evaluated the reliability of the results from the system. Result. The evaluations of the different tasks show acceptable reliability. The evaluation of the characteristics indicated that the system can be a viable option for the measurement of basic laparoscopic skills. Conclusion. There are technological available alternative for the objective measurement of laparoscopic skills. This measurement can be done by hybrid systems combining the advantages of virtual and physical systems.