I think this can help us to understand what the differences are between novices and experienced surgeons. Once we understand those differences, we’ll be able to get novice surgeons looking more like experienced surgeons in a shorter period of time. The value is getting lots of people to do it, so having it here at Clinical Congress is a great chance to get real data that will yield real results.

David M. Notrica, MD, FACS, FAAP
Phoenix, AZ

[gap height=”50″]

It’s really important to get baseline data in terms of where surgeons in practice are—in both their cognitive and technical abilities. It’s potentially applicable for looking at how to facilitate declines, but I think it’s important to first validate these instruments to see how useful they are in being able to tell the difference between people at different levels and stages in their careers.

Sabha Ganai, MD, PhD, FACS
Springfield, IL

[gap height=”50″]

This is an interesting way to see and quantify variations of surgeon techniques in terms of different movements and different decisions. It’s really great that they’re actually using objective data—EEG [electroencephalogram] monitoring—to sort of see the different variations in technique, and it will be cool to see the differences between beginners and more highly trained, experienced surgeons. It will be very interesting to see the results.

Arthur Berg, DO
Hackensack, NJ

[gap height=”50″]

About The Surgical Metrics Project

The Surgical Metrics Project was introduced at Clinical Congress 2019. Sponsored by the ACS Committee on Surgical Skills Training for Practicing Surgeons, the project employs wearable technologies to build a database of surgical decision making and technical approaches during repair of a small bowel enterotomy. Resident, active practice, and retired surgeons were encouraged to participate during Clinical Congress.

Each participant was equipped with magnetic motion tracking technology synchronized with headgear that captured video and audio data. Working in sync, these instruments provide a moment-to-moment account of each step and decision that a surgeon makes while operating, and measure time and flow efficiency to provide an accurate assessment of the surgical process.

All participants received a short report on their performance. After Clinical Congress, the data will be analyzed to answer the following questions:

• What decisions do surgeons make when faced with a surgical task?
• How do their decisions and technical approaches affect outcomes/bowel repair quality?
• Can this database serve as a benchmarking resource for trainees?
• Is there an expert strategy or evidenced-based approach that can be discovered in the data and shared with participants
• Can this database serve as a platform to discuss the possibility of longitudinal, personal assessment where participants track their own performance throughout their career?