title: Assessing Performance in Shoulder Arthroscopy: The Imperial Global Arthroscopy Rating Scale (IGARS).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Surgical training is undergoing major changes with reduced resident work hours and an increasing focus on patient safety and surgical aptitude. The aim of this study was to create a valid, reliable method for an assessment of arthroscopic skills that is independent of time and place and is designed for both real and simulated settings. The validity of the scale was tested using a virtual reality shoulder arthroscopy simulator.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study consisted of two parts. In the first part, an Imperial Global Arthroscopy Rating Scale for assessing technical performance was developed using a Delphi method. Application of this scale required installing a dual-camera system to synchronously record the simulator screen and body movements of trainees to allow an assessment that is independent of time and place. The scale includes aspects such as efficient portal positioning, angles of instrument insertion, proficiency in handling the arthroscope and adequately manipulating the camera, and triangulation skills. In the second part of the study, a validation study was conducted. Two experienced arthroscopic surgeons, blinded to the identities and experience of the participants, each assessed forty-nine subjects performing three different tests using the Imperial Global Arthroscopy Rating Scale. Results were analyzed using two-way analysis of variance with measures of absolute agreement. The intraclass correlation coefficient was calculated for each test to assess inter-rater reliability.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The scale demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach alpha, 0.918). The intraclass correlation coefficient demonstrated high agreement between the assessors: 0.91 (p < 0.001). Construct validity was evaluated using Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance (chi-square test, 29.826; p < 0.001), demonstrating that the Imperial Global Arthroscopy Rating Scale distinguishes significantly between subjects with different levels of experience utilizing a virtual reality simulator.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Imperial Global Arthroscopy Rating Scale has a high internal consistency and excellent inter-rater reliability and offers an approach for assessing technical performance in basic arthroscopy on a virtual reality simulator.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Imperial Global Arthroscopy Rating Scale provides detailed information on surgical skills. Although it requires further validation in the operating room, this scale, which is independent of time and place, offers a robust and reliable method for assessing arthroscopic technical skills.
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Architecture and Technology, Computing Sciences, and Artificial Intelligence, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Calle Tulipán s/n, 28933 Móstoles, Madrid, Spain. E-mail address: sofia.bayona@urjc.es.
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bayona
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Fulham Palace Road, London, W68RF United Kingdom. E-mail address for C. Gupte: c.gupte@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Kash
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Akhtar
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Fulham Palace Road, London, W68RF United Kingdom. E-mail address for C. Gupte: c.gupte@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Chinmay
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gupte
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Fulham Palace Road, London, W68RF United Kingdom. E-mail address for C. Gupte: c.gupte@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Roger J H
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Emery
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Fulham Palace Road, London, W68RF United Kingdom. E-mail address for C. Gupte: c.gupte@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Alexander L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Dodds
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Fulham Palace Road, London, W68RF United Kingdom. E-mail address for C. Gupte: c.gupte@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bello
mesh_terms: D001182:Arthroscopy / Q000193:education*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003697:Delphi Technique; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012785:Shoulder Joint / Q000601:surgery*; D014741:Video Recording