Researchers at Keck Medicine of USC are testing a custom recording tool that holds surgeons accountable to provide patients’ piece of mind. 

The researchers implemented a custom recording tool similar in concept to a flight recorder on an airplane. When attached to a robotic surgery system during radical prostatectomy procedures, the most common treatment for prostate cancer, the black box recorder captures data that could be used to discern the difference between novice and expert surgeons. 

The recorder used in the study, called the dVLogger, captures both anonymized video and movement data. Developed by Intuitive Surgical, the research tool can attach to the company's da Vinci Surgical System, a robotic surgical platform approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for general laparoscopic surgery. It records the surgeon's movements, capturing where the instruments are and how the surgeon is moving them.

To test the recorder's ability to measure proficiency, four basic prostate surgery steps were analyzed. Data from 100 procedures performed by both novice and expert surgeons were recorded. 

Results show that novice and expert surgeons could be identified by measuring time to complete operative steps, the distance of instrument and camera travel, and frequency of camera movements.

Creating a sustainable, objective method for evaluating surgeon proficiency and standardizing credentialing is a way to not only improve patient safety but it also has implications for patient satisfaction and, ultimately, reimbursement. 

Results of the study will appear in the January 2018 edition of The Journal of Urology.

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Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com