title: Validity evidence for Surgical Improvement of Clinical Knowledge Ops: a novel gaming platform to assess surgical decision making.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Current surgical education curricula focus mainly on the acquisition of technical skill rather than clinical and operative judgment. SICKO (Surgical Improvement of Clinical Knowledge Ops) is a novel gaming platform developed to address this critical need. A pilot study was performed to collect validity evidence for SICKO as an assessment for surgical decision making.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-nine subjects stratified into 4 levels of expertise were recruited to play SICKO. Later, players were surveyed regarding the realism of the gaming platform as well as the clinical competencies required of them while playing SICKO.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Each group of increasing expertise outperformed the less experienced groups. Mean total game scores for the novice, junior resident, senior resident, and expert groups were 5,461, 8,519, 11,404, and 13,913, respectively (P = .001). Survey results revealed high scores for realism and content.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SICKO holds the potential to be not only an engaging and immersive educational tool, but also a valid assessment in the armamentarium of surgical educators.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. Electronic address: danalin@stanford.edu.
authors.forename: Dana T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Cara A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Liebert
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: James N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Lau
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003479:Curriculum; D003625:Data Collection; D003657:Decision Making; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000379:methods*; D007600:Judgment; D017145:Models, Educational; D010865:Pilot Projects; D014481:United States; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D018910:Video Games
keywords: Assessments; Gamification; Surgical decision making; Surgical education