title: Construct validity for eye-hand coordination skill on a virtual reality laparoscopic surgical simulator.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study was carried out to investigate whether eye-hand coordination skill on a virtual reality laparoscopic surgical simulator (the LAP Mentor) was able to differentiate among subjects with different laparoscopic experience and thus confirm its construct validity.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 31 surgeons, who were all right-handed, were divided into the following two groups according to their experience as an operator in laparoscopic surgery: experienced surgeons (more than 50 laparoscopic procedures) and novice surgeons (fewer than 10 laparoscopic procedures). The subjects were tested using the eye-hand coordination task of the LAP Mentor, and performance was compared between the two groups. Assessment of the laparoscopic skills was based on parameters measured by the simulator.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The experienced surgeons completed the task significantly faster than the novice surgeons. The experienced surgeons also achieved a lower number of movements (NOM), better economy of movement (EOM) and faster average speed of the left instrument than the novice surgeons, whereas there were no significant differences between the two groups for the NOM, EOM and average speed of the right instrument.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Eye-hand coordination skill of the nondominant hand, but not the dominant hand, measured using the LAP Mentor was able to differentiate between subjects with different laparoscopic experience. This study also provides evidence of construct validity for eye-hand coordination skill on the LAP Mentor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Disaster and Emergency Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan. shohei@surg2.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Shohei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Kozo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Konishi
authors.forename: Takefumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yasunaga
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Nao
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kinjo
authors.forename: Kiichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ieiri
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okazaki
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakashima
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanoue
authors.forename: Yoshihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Maehara
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hashizume
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003198:Computer Simulation; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D014584:User-Computer Interface