Haptics: The Science of Touch As a Foundational Pathway to Precision Education and Assessment.

Clinical touch is the cornerstone of the doctor-patient relationship and can impact patient experience and outcomes. In the current era, driven by an ever-increasing infusion of point-of-care technologies, physical exam skills have become undervalued. Moreover, touch and hands-on skills have been difficult to teach due to inaccurate assessments and difficulty with learning transfer through observation.

Trainees' Perspectives on the Next Era of Assessment and Precision Education.

The next era of assessment in medical education promises new assessment systems, increased focus on ensuring high-quality equitable patient care, and precision education to drive learning and improvement. The potential benefits of using learning analytics and technology to augment medical training abound. To ensure that the ideals of this future for medical education are realized, educators should partner with trainees to build and implement new assessment systems.

Sensors and Psychomotor Metrics: A Unique Opportunity to Close the Gap on Surgical Processes and Outcomes.

The surgical process remains elusive to many. This paper presents two independent empirical investigations where psychomotor skill metrics were used to quantify elements of the surgical process in a procedural context during surgical tasks in a simulated environment. The overarching goal of both investigations was to address the following hypothesis: Basic motion metrics can be used to quantify specific aspects of the surgical process including instrument autonomy, psychomotor efficiency, procedural readiness, and clinical errors.

Does the location of short-arm cast univalve effect pressure of the three-point mould?

Purpose: Forearm and distal radius fractures are among the most common fractures in children. Many fractures are definitively treated with closed reduction and casting, however, the risk for re-displacement is high (7% to 39%). Proper cast application and the three-point moulding technique are modifiable factors that improve the ability of a cast to maintain the fracture reduction.

Translating motion tracking data into resident feedback: An opportunity for streamlined video coaching.

Background: We hypothesized that differences in motion data during a simulated laparoscopic ventral hernia repair (LVH) can be used to stratify top and lower tier performers and streamline video review.

Materials And Methods: Surgical residents (N = 94) performed a simulated partial LVH repair while wearing motion tracking sensors. We identified the top ten and lower ten performers based on a final product quality score (FPQS) of the repair.

Use of sensors to quantify procedural idle time: Validity evidence for a new mastery metric.

Background: Quantification of mastery is the first step in using objective metrics for teaching. We hypothesized that during orotracheal intubation, top tier performers have less idle time compared to lower tier performers.

Methods: At the Anesthesiology 2018 Annual Meeting, 82 participants intubated a normal airway simulator and a burnt airway simulator.

Screening surgical residents' laparoscopic skills using virtual reality tasks: Who needs more time in the sim lab?

Background: This study investigated the possibility of using virtual reality perceptual-motor tasks as a screening tool for laparoscopic ability. We hypothesized that perceptual-motor skills assessed using virtual reality will correlate with the quality of simulated laparoscopic ventral hernia repair.

Materials And Methods: Surgical residents (N = 37), performed 2 virtual reality perceptual-motor tasks: (1) force matching and (2) target tracking.

Arterial duplex for diagnosis of peripheral arterial emboli.

Background: Whether duplex ultrasound (DUS) imaging alone can be used to successfully plan revascularization for peripheral arterial embolism (PAE) is unknown. This study evaluated the utility of DUS imaging alone for the diagnosis and treatment of PAE.

Methods: Patients with cardiogenic PAE to the lower or upper extremities during a 20-year period were retrospectively evaluated.

The role of axillofemoral bypass in current vascular surgery practice.

Background: In the era of increasing endovascular approaches for aortoiliac disease, we sought to determine the role of axillofemoral bypass in contemporary practice.

Methods: All axillofemoral bypasses performed at our institution from 2006 to 2013 were reviewed for indication, patency, and survival and compared with our prior published series before the widespread use of endovascular techniques (1996 to 2001).

Results: During the study period, 90 bypasses (29 axillofemoral and 61 axillobifemoral) bypasses were performed.

A modern series of acute aortic occlusion.

Objective: Acute aortic occlusion (AAO) is a rare condition associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. The most recent large series was published over 15 years ago and included patients from the 1980s. Previous studies reported up to 50% of AAOs are caused by embolization, with a mortality rate approaching 50%.

Medical comorbidities but not interventions adversely affect survival in patients with intermittent claudication.

Objective: Intermittent claudication (IC) is common and associated with decreased survival. While patients with IC infrequently progress to critical limb ischemia (CLI), many elect to pursue intervention initially or during follow-up. However, controversy exists as to whether intervention in patients with IC adversely impacts survival or limb salvage.