title: Effect of two instrument designs on laparoscopic skills performance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether laparoscopic skills performance is affected by instrument design.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized crossover study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Veterinarians (n = 14) with variable laparoscopic experience.
  
  
  METHODS
  Laparoscopic skills performance was assessed with the McGill Inanimate System for Training and Evaluation of Laparoscopic Skills (MISTELS). Participants performed 3 MISTELS tasks twice during 2 sessions (4 tests total). Each set of instruments (set A, B) was used once during each session, and instrument order was switched between the first and second sessions. Surgeons were randomly allocated to either the AB-BA or the BA-AB sequence in a balanced fashion. Scores were compared between instrument sets A and B.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, participants performed better when using set A compared with set B. This difference was most striking in the pattern-cutting task (which used scissors and graspers), less convincing in the peg transfer task (which used 2 graspers), and nonexistent in the ligature loop task (which used 1 grasper and 1 pretied ligature loop).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Laparoscopic skills performance, as assessed by MISTELS testing, is affected by instrument design.
authors.affiliation: Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6610, USA.
authors.forename: Sabrina L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Barry
authors.forename: Boel A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Fransson
authors.forename: Benjamin F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Spall
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gay
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D020706:Laparoscopes / Q000662:veterinary*; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D018634:Veterinarians