Optimal timing of assessment tasks depending on experience level of surgical trainees.

Box trainers with motion analysis are important add-ons to surgical training and skills assessment outside the operating room, given that they exhibit construct validity. Four different tasks were tested for construct validity on a new laparoscopic box trainer with integrated motion analysis. Tracking data from the simulator were analyzed for eighteen parameters per task using an in-house software comparing participants with three different experience levels. In total, ten novices, 22 intermediates and 16 experts enrolled. No or limited significant differences were found for the and . For the task 12 parameters showed significant difference between novices and intermediates, 14 between novices and experts and one between intermediates and experts. For the task the corresponding results were one, 15 and six. The and task both showed construct validity for many of the parameters. While the task distinguished best between novices and the other two groups, the task distinguished best between experts and the other two groups. These results show the importance of the timing of an assessment task, and that an assessment task might have limited value if experience levels are not considered.