title: Effect of Spatial Cognitive Ability on Gain in Robot-Assisted Surgical Skills of Urological Surgeons.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although previous studies have demonstrated the needs for a spatial cognitive ability that can give an accurate understanding of the position, orientation, and size and form of the objects in endoscopic surgery, there has been no study on the relationship between the skills of robot-assisted surgery and spatial cognitive ability.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effect of spatial cognitive ability on gain in robot-assisted surgical skills of urological surgeons.
  
  
  METHODS
  The robot-assisted surgery skills of 24 urological surgeons who had no previous experience with the Mimic dV-Trainer (MdVT) and had not been the main surgeon in robot-assisted surgery and 20 volunteer medical students who had no previous experience of the MdVT were assessed by using a program consisting of 4 kinds of tasks. Their performances were recorded using a built-in scoring algorithm. Their spatial cognitive abilities were also assessed using a mental rotation test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although there was a significant correlation between the spatial cognitive ability and a score of 2 for the more difficult tasks for student groups using the MdVT, there was no significant correlation between them for all tasks for groups of urological surgeons.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of the present study indicate that differences in spatial cognitive ability in urological surgeons have no effect on the gain in fundamental robot-assisted surgery skills whereas there was a significant correlation between the spatial cognitive ability and fundamental robot-assisted surgical skills in the volunteers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Integrated Health Sciences, Institute of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan. Electronic address: teishima@hiroshima-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Teishima
authors.affiliation: Advanced Medical SkillsTraining Center, Applied Life Sciences, Institute of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hattori
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Integrated Health Sciences, Institute of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Shogo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Integrated Health Sciences, Institute of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hieda
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Integrated Health Sciences, Institute of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kobatake
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Integrated Health Sciences, Institute of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Shunsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shinmei
authors.affiliation: Advanced Medical SkillsTraining Center, Applied Life Sciences, Institute of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan; Department of Gastroenterological and Transplant Surgery, Applied Life Sciences, Institute of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Egi
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterological and Transplant Surgery, Applied Life Sciences, Institute of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohdan
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Integrated Health Sciences, Institute of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matsubara
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D065287:Robotic Surgical Procedures / Q000193:education*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013520:Urologic Surgical Procedures / Q000193:education*
keywords: Practice-Based Learning and Improvement; Professionalism; Systems-Based Practice; robot-assisted surgery; simulator, urological surgeon; spatial cognitive ability