Assessment of construct validity of the endoscopic sinus surgery simulator.
OBJECTIVE
To study the relationship between performance on an endoscopic sinus surgery simulator (ES3) and fundamental perceptual, visuospatial, and psychomotor abilities.


METHODS
Validation study.


METHODS
Tertiary care medical center.


METHODS
Thirty-four medical students and 4 otolaryngology residents voluntarily enrolled.


METHODS
Subjects performed tasks on the ES3, minimally invasive surgical trainer virtual reality (MIST-VR), pictorial surface orientation (PicSOr), and 3 visuospatial tests (cube comparison, card rotation, and map planning).


METHODS
The MIST-VR was scored for time, task error, economy of hand movement, economy of diathermy, and total score. Scores were generated for the PicSOr task and visuospatial tests. Scores were correlated with time, accuracy, and total subscore on navigation, injection, and dissection tasks, as well as hazard score and total trial score on the ES3.


RESULTS
The PicSOr score was statistically significantly correlated with the hazard score on the ES3 (r = 0.50, P < .001). Cube comparison (r = 0.43, P < .01) and card rotation (r = 0.45, P < .01) scores correlated significantly with the ES3 trial score, as did the MIST-VR total score and the ES3 trial score (r = 0.57, P < .001). In a multiple regression model, the PicSOr, cube comparison, and MIST-VR total scores were statistically significant predictors of ES3 performance (r = 0.63, P < .01).


CONCLUSIONS
Scores on the ES3 correlate strongly with scores on previously validated measures of perceptual, visuospatial, and psychomotor performance. The ES3 provides a reliable assessment of factors that are important to the acquisition of minimally invasive surgical skills, demonstrating construct validity.
Arora
Harman
H
Department of Medicine, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
Uribe
Jose
J
Ralph
Walter
W
Zeltsan
Michael
M
Cuellar
Hernando
H
Gallagher
Anthony
A
Fried
Marvin P
MP
D003198:Computer Simulation; D004521:Educational Measurement; D018961:Educational Technology; D004724:Endoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010256:Paranasal Sinuses / Q000601:surgery*; D011336:Probability; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013337:Students, Medical; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014584:User-Computer Interface