Motion Tracking System in Surgical Training

Introduction: Simulation technology is evolving and becoming the focus of attention in surgical training. The development of this technology in assessing open surgical skills is far behind when compared to minimally invasive surgery (MIS) training. Surgical skills such as suturing and tying surgical knots are assessed by an observational tool. It is labour-intensive and time-consuming. Therefore, we explored the potential use of motion tracking system as a non-observational assessment tool for basic surgical skills

The impact of individual consideration on organizational commitment, with the mediation of role clarification.

Introduction: Organizational commitment is an important aspect for organizations in order to bring down their turnover rate. Especially, in case of IT industry, this conception has been laid with great emphasis. However, not much work has been conducted to study factors affecting organizational commitment in the IT industry of PakistanAim: To assess the impact of individual consideration on organizational commitment, with the mediation of role clarificationMethodology: Survey method was used to analyze the relationship. A pre-designed questionnaire was distributed among 300 respondents from Netsol CompanyResults: The results show that individual consideration significantly influences organizational commitment. This relationship is enhanced by the mediating effect of role clarification approach

A Study to Design an Objective Scoring System for Basic Surgical Skills (BSS)

Background Simulation technology is rapidly evolving and becoming the focus of attention in surgical training. However, the development of this technology in assessing open surgical skills is far behind when compared to minimally invasive surgery (MIS) training and assessment. Aim The overall objective of this thesis is to investigate the assessment tools that are readily available for assessing basic open surgical skills and develop an automated system that could be used in the simulation setting. Materials & Methods We evaluated the observer-dependant assessment tool in assessing basic surgical skills including one-handed knot tying and simple interrupted suturing skills. We established a hand tracking system that consists of an off-the-shelf motion analysis device and software created by our co-supervisor which generates numerical metrics. We investigated the validity of these metrics and we examined the potential application of this invaluable assessment tool. Results The results demonstrated that the observer-dependant assessment tool has poor inter-rater agreement despite its validity in assessing open surgical skills. The validity of the novel hand tracking system was established. We also demonstrated its application in assessing surgical trainees’ progress and also in proficiency-based assessment. Conclusion The hand motion tracking system is a valid assessment tool in evaluating performance in open surgical skills and has a potential significant role in the proficiency-based surgical training programme.</p

Using the suture/adhesive strips combination technique for skin closure in an individual with Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome

Combining sutures with adhesive strips to avoid the ‘cheese-wiring’ effect in individuals with fragile skin is a method that has been described previously. Here we demonstrate its application in an individual with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Keywords: Cheese-wire effect, Sutures, Ehlers-Danlos Sydrome, Steri-Strip

You’ve got to hand it to them: assessing final year medical students knowledge of hand anatomy and pathology

Background: Knowledge of hand anatomy and pathology is important for final year medical students as it frequently appears in examinations as a short case or in a written paper. Studies have shown that doctors in the Emergency Department have a deficient grasp of musculoskeletal anatomy secondary to a lack of dedicated teaching in medical school. Methods: A questionnaire was handed out to 111 final year medical students. Students were asked to fill it out before and after dedicated upper limb teaching sessions during their rotation. The questionnaire consisted of an anatomical and pathological component. Students were tested on basic anatomy and pathology of several common upper limb conditions. Results: There was a significant improvement in the medical students knowledge after the dedicated hand teaching. The identification of the carpal bones showed the most improvement overall. Conclusions: Basic musculoskeletal knowledge is essential to the practice of medicine. The majority of medical students gravitate towards a career in general practice or emergency medicine and good knowledge of upper limb anatomy is important. We have piloted a new interactive dedicated upper limb teaching module and have shown that there has been a significant improvement in students knowledge

You’ve got to hand it to them: assessing final year medical students knowledge of hand anatomy and pathology

Background: Knowledge of hand anatomy and pathology is important for final year medical students as it frequently appears in examinations as a short case or in a written paper. Studies have shown that doctors in the Emergency Department have a deficient grasp of musculoskeletal anatomy secondary to a lack of dedicated teaching in medical school. Methods: A questionnaire was handed out to 111 final year medical students. Students were asked to fill it out before and after dedicated upper limb teaching sessions during their rotation. The questionnaire consisted of an anatomical and pathological component. Students were tested on basic anatomy and pathology of several common upper limb conditions. Results: There was a significant improvement in the medical students knowledge after the dedicated hand teaching. The identification of the carpal bones showed the most improvement overall. Conclusions: Basic musculoskeletal knowledge is essential to the practice of medicine. The majority of medical students gravitate towards a career in general practice or emergency medicine and good knowledge of upper limb anatomy is important. We have piloted a new interactive dedicated upper limb teaching module and have shown that there has been a significant improvement in students knowledge