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Technical mentorship during robot‐assisted surgery: a cognitive analysis
Author(s) -
Hussein Ahmed A.,
Shafiei Somayeh B.,
Sharif Mohamed,
Esfahani Ehsan,
Ahmad Basel,
Kozlowski Justen D.,
Hashmi Zishan,
Guru Khurshid A.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
bju international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.773
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1464-410X
pISSN - 1464-4096
DOI - 10.1111/bju.13445
Subject(s) - workload , mentorship , cognition , psychology , task (project management) , robotic surgery , medicine , medical education , surgery , computer science , engineering , psychiatry , operating system , systems engineering
Objective To investigate cognitive and mental workload assessments, which may play a critical role in defining successful mentorship. Materials and Methods The ‘Mind Maps’ project aimed at evaluating cognitive function with regard to surgeon's expertise and trainee's skills. The study included electroencephalogram ( EEG ) recordings of a mentor observing trainee surgeons in 20 procedures involving extended lymph node dissection ( eLND ) or urethrovesical anastomosis ( UVA ), with simultaneous assessment of trainees using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load index ( NASA ‐ TLX ) questionnaire. We also compared the brain activity of the mentor during this study with his own brain activity while actually performing the same surgical steps from previous procedures populated in the ‘Mind Maps’ project. Results During eLND and UVA , when the mentor thought the trainee's mental demand and effort were low based on his NASA ‐ TLX questionnaire (not satisfied with his performance), his EEG ‐based mental workload increased (reflecting more concern and attention). The mentor was mentally engaged and concerned while he was engrossed in observing the surgery. This was further supported by the finding that there was no significant difference in the mental demands and workload between observing and operating for the expert surgeon. Conclusions This study objectively evaluated the cognitive engagement of a surgical mentor teaching technical skills during surgery. The study provides a deeper understanding of how surgical teaching actually works and opens new horizons for assessment and teaching of surgery. Further research is needed to study the feasibility of this novel concept in assessment and guidance of surgical performance.