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.

Mental skills training limits the decay in operative technical skill under stressful conditions: Results of a multisite, randomized controlled study.

Background: Overwhelming stress in the operating room can lead to decay in operative performance, particularly for residents who lack experience. Mental skills training can minimize deterioration in performance during challenging situations. We hypothesized that residents trained on mental skills would outperform controls under increased stress conditions in the simulated operating room.

Attentional selectivity, automaticity, and self-efficacy predict simulator-acquired skill transfer to the clinical environment.

Introduction: Several studies demonstrated that simulator-acquired skill transfer to the operating room is incomplete. Our objective was to identify trainee characteristics that predict the transfer of simulator-acquired skill to the operating room.

Methods: Trainees completed baseline assessments including intracorporeal suturing (IS) performance, attentional selectivity, self-reported use of mental skills, and self-reported prior clinical and simulated laparoscopic experience and confidence.