New 'black box' recorder can measure surgeons' proficiency

US scientists have developed a novel recorder similar in concept to a black box on an airplane that can be used to objectively measure surgeons' proficiency in robotic-assisted prostate cancer surgery.
Creating a sustainable, objective method for evaluating surgeon proficiency and standardising credentialing is a way to help ensure patient safety, said Andrew Hung, from the University of Southern California in the US.
The recorder used in the study, called the dVLogger, captures both anonymised video and movement data.
Developed by Intuitive Surgical, the research tool can attach to the company's da Vinci Surgical System, a robotic surgical platform approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for general laparoscopic surgery.

"The dVLogger records the surgeon's movements, capturing where the instruments are and how the surgeon is moving the instruments," Hung said.
To test the recorder's ability to measure proficiency, four basic prostate surgery steps were analysed.

Data from 100 procedures performed by both novice and expert surgeons were recorded.
The findings published in The Journal of Urology showed that novice and expert surgeons could be identified by measuring time to complete operative steps, distance of instrument and camera travel and frequency of camera movements.
"We now have an opportunity to put surgeon proficiency under the microscope and see what role it plays in patient outcomes," Hung said.