Understanding the challenges of robotic-assisted surgery adoption: Perspectives from stakeholders and the general population on human-interaction, built environment, and training.

This study aims to explore adoption barriers from three aspects critical to facilitating robotic-assisted-surgery (RAS) adoption: the human-robot-interaction, built-environment, and training. Guidelines for research and design are identified from these perspectives. This study consisted of three phases: 1) surveys to RAS stakeholders and a crowd-sourcing survey; 2) stakeholder focus groups; and 3) a workshop with subject-matter experts to prioritize future research for RAS.

A year-long case study of multicomponent interventions to promote physical activity in office workers: A randomized control trial.

The purpose of this study was to identify if workplace interventions, (i.e., mindfulness classes and monetary incentives for gym attendance), influenced workers' physical activity.

Evaluation of a passive arm-support exoskeleton for surgical team members: Results from live surgeries.

Background: Musculoskeletal symptoms and injuries adversely impact the health of surgical team members and their performance in the operating room (OR). Though ergonomic risks in surgery are well-recognized, mitigating these risks is especially difficult. In this study, we aimed to assess the impacts of an exoskeleton when used by OR team members during live surgeries.

Drinking and driving: A systematic review of the impacts of alcohol consumption on manual and automated driving performance.

Introduction: Almost a third of car accidents involve driving after alcohol consumption. Autonomous vehicles (AVs) may offer accident-prevention benefits, but at current automation levels, drivers must still perform manual driving tasks when automated systems fail. Therefore, understanding how alcohol affects driving in both manual and automated contexts offers insight into the role of future vehicle design in mediating crash risks for alcohol-impaired driving.

Can pre-visit exposure to virtual tours of healthcare facilities help reduce child and parent anxiety during outpatient surgical procedures?

Aim: The study aims to evaluate the impact of exposure to a highly realistic virtual facility tour prior to the on-site visit on patients and their parent/care partner's self-reported anxiety and physiological measures on the day of the procedure.

Background: Preoperative anxiety impacts pediatric surgical outcomes; therefore, it is important for healthcare providers to address and manage preoperative anxiety in pediatric patients to promote better outcomes and overall wellbeing. Providing patients with a preview of the care setting before the actual procedure can be highly beneficial in mitigating preoperative anxiety.

Utilizing Eye Tracking to Assess Medical Student Non-Technical Performance During Scenario-Based Simulation: Results of a Pilot Study.

Background: Non-technical skills (NTS) are essential for safe surgical patient management. However, assessing NTS involves observer-based ratings, which can introduce bias. Eye tracking (ET) has been proposed as an effective method to capture NTS.

Manufacturing Industry Stakeholder Perspectives on Occupational Exoskeletons: Changes after a Brief Exposure to Exoskeletons.

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONSMultiple occupational exoskeletons have been developed recently with potential to reduce physical demands, muscle fatigue, and risk of over-exertion injuries in manufacturing, yet there are currently challenges in practical, large-scale deployment. We explored how stakeholder perceptions of exoskeletons were affected by exposure to passive arm- and back-support exoskeletons. Our outcomes indicate that even brief exposure to exoskeletons can positively influence worker and stakeholder perceptions on the usefulness and safety of exoskeletons.

The compatibility of exoskeletons in perioperative environments and workflows: an analysis of surgical team members' perspectives and workflow simulation.

Surgical team members in perioperative environments experience high physical demands. Interventions such as exoskeletons, external wearable devices that support users, have the potential to reduce these work-related physical demands. However, barriers such as workplace environment and task compatibility may limit exoskeleton implementation.

Physical activity changes among office workers during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and the agreement between objective and subjective physical activity metrics.

After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many office workers transitioned to working-from-home (WFH) which altered routine physical activity (PA). To understand how these workers' PA were affected throughout the pandemic, PA data collected in January, April, June, and December 2020 with an activity tracker and a validated survey were analyzed. Between January and December, it was found that step counts during the weekday decreased (p < 0.

Objective Nontechnical Skills Measurement Using Sensor-based Behavior Metrics in Surgical Teams.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify objective measures that predict surgeon nontechnical skills (NTS) during surgery.

Background: NTS are cognitive and social skills that impact operative performance and patient outcomes. Current methods for NTS assessment in surgery rely on observation-based tools to rate intraoperative behavior.

Measurement of Nontechnical Skills During Robotic-Assisted Surgery Using Sensor-Based Communication and Proximity Metrics.

This cohort study uses sensor-based communication and proximity metrics to assess surgeon nontechnical skills during robotic-assisted surgery.

Stress and resident interdisciplinary team performance: Results of a pilot trauma simulation program.

Background: Excessive stress negatively impacts surgical residents' technical performance. The effect of stress on trainee nontechnical skills, however, is less well studied. Given that nontechnical skills are known to impact clinical performance, the purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between residents' perceived stress and nontechnical skills during multidisciplinary trauma simulations.

Objective Measures of Surgeon Non-Technical Skills in Surgery: A Scoping Review.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify, synthesize, and discuss objective behavioral or physiological metrics of surgeons' nontechnical skills (NTS) in the literature.

Background: NTS, or interpersonal or cognitive skills, have been identified to contribute to safe and efficient surgical performance; however, current assessments are subjective, checklist-based tools. Intraoperative skill evaluation, such as technical skills, has been previously utilized as an objective measure to address such limitations.

Characterizing robotic surgical expertise: An exploratory study of neural activation during mental imagery of robotic suturing.

Background: Mental imagery (MI) aids skill acquisition, however, it is unclear to what extend MI is used by experienced surgeons. The purpose of this study was to assess differences in MI of participants with varying surgical expertise in robotic surgery.

Methods: Students, residents, and surgeons completed the Mental Imagery Questionnaire to assess MI for robotic suturing.

Surgeon stress negatively affects their non-technical skills in the operating room.

Background: Poor surgeons' non-technical skills (NTS) and excessive stress and workload are known contributors to surgical errors. Our aim was to examine the relationship between surgeons' stress and workload, and their observed NTS intraoperatively.

Methods: Surgeon's NTS were rated in the operating room (OR) by trained observers.

Sensor-based indicators of performance changes between sessions during robotic surgery training.

Training of surgeons is essential for safe and effective use of robotic surgery, yet current assessment tools for learning progression are limited. The objective of this study was to measure changes in trainees' cognitive and behavioral states as they progressed in a robotic surgeon training curriculum at a medical institution. Seven surgical trainees in urology who had no formal robotic training experience participated in the simulation curriculum.

Supporting Surgical Teams: Identifying Needs and Barriers for Exoskeleton Implementation in the Operating Room.

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify potential needs and barriers related to using exoskeletons to decrease musculoskeletal (MS) symptoms for workers in the operating room (OR).

Background: MS symptoms and injuries adversely impact worker health and performance in surgical environments. Half of the surgical team members (e.

Eye-Tracking Metrics Predict Perceived Workload in Robotic Surgical Skills Training.

Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between eye-tracking measures and perceived workload in robotic surgical tasks.

Background: Robotic techniques provide improved dexterity, stereoscopic vision, and ergonomic control system over laparoscopic surgery, but the complexity of the interfaces and operations may pose new challenges to surgeons and compromise patient safety. Limited studies have objectively quantified workload and its impact on performance in robotic surgery.

Objective Measures of Communication Behavior Predict Clinical Performance.

Objective: Effective teamwork and communication are critical to patient outcomes, and subjective assessment tools have been studied in predicting team performances. However, inherent biases remain while using subjective assessment tools. This study hypothesizes that objective communication features can assess and predict clinical performance.

Use of non-technical skills can predict medical student performance in acute care simulated scenarios.

Background: Though the importance of physician non-technical (NT) skills for safe patient care is recognized, NT skills of medical students, our future physicians, has received little attention. This study aims to investigate the relationship of medical student NT skills and clinical performance during acute care team simulation (ACTS).

Methods: Forty-one medical students participated in ACTS.