Objective surgical performance evaluation based on haptic feedback

In order to develop effective virtual reality training systems for surgery there is a need to provide appropriate sensory and performance feedback to the user. This paper aims to demonstrate a method by which performance data can be collected. This is used to investigate the effect of haptic feedback on performance. A PHANTOM desktop device was used in conjunction with a suturing simulation. A pair of needle-holders was instrumented with strain gauges and attached to the stylus of the PHANTOM allowing the measurement of force application and time. Suturing performance was evaluated in terms of stitch completion time, peak force application, and the length and straightness of the stitch. The effect of the level of force feedback provided by the simulation and performance over time was considered. The results indicate that the presence of force feedback affected task completion time, peak force application and the straightness of the stitch. Task completion time was shown to increase with the level of force feedback provided. Performance was seen to improve over time in terms of task completion time and the accuracy of the stitch. The work has examined how the presence and level of force feedback affects performance of a simple task. The accuracy of haptic feedback is important in the design of surgical simulation systems to ensure effective training transfer. A data collection method by which objective performance evaluation can be made is demonstrated. The method can be applied to training using bench models, simulations and potentially in the operating theatre.