title: An evaluation of the endoscopic surgical skills assessment using a video analysis software program.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recently, the endoscopic surgical skills of surgeons have become a focus of many investigators and society as a whole. Hence, the importance of the training and education programs used to ensure safer endoscopic surgery has been gradually increasing. We developed our own motion analysis system called the HUESAD, and already demonstrated its construct validity. In this study, we verified that another motion analysis system (which uses the Dartfish Software program) could assess surgeons' endoscopic surgical skills.
  
  
  METHODS
  Experts (who had performed more than 100 laparoscopic surgeries) and novices (who had no experience performing laparoscopic surgery) were recruited for this study. The task was suturing in a dry box trainer. The time and the locus tracing of both sides' needle holders were analyzed using the new video analysis system (Dartfish Software).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were statistically significant differences between the experts and novices in all three variables assessed (task time: p = 0.0011, the locus tracing of the left sides' needle holders: p = 0.0011, the locus tracing of the right sides' needle holders: p = 0.0011).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study demonstrated that the results of the motion analysis by the Dartfish Software were well correlated with the surgeon's skill level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterological and Transplant Surgery, Applied Life Sciences, Institute of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, 734-8551, Japan.
authors.forename: Takahisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Egi
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hattori
authors.forename: Masakazu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tokunaga
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sawada
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohdan
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000193:education*; D012984:Software; D020535:Video-Assisted Surgery / Q000379:methods*