Damla Topalli

Understanding the Effect of Handedness on Both-Handed Task Performance: An Experimental Study based on a Haptic-Controlled, Simulation-Based Surgical Skill Training Scenario

ABSTRACT Understanding the performance on both-handed tasks, such as endoscopic surgery, is critical to better organize and develop appropriate instructional systems to improve the necessary skills of surgeons. However, in the literature, only a limited number of studies have investigated the effect of handedness on both-handed task performance. This study aimed to provide an understanding of the participants’ performance differences while performing both-handed tasks through a haptic user interface in a simulated virtual environment specifically developed for surgical training purposes. Twenty-four surgeons attending a medical school in Turkey voluntarily participated in the study. The duration, accuracy, and collision measures were automatically recorded by software. The results revealed that the left-handed participants performed the both-handed tasks (camera: nondominant hand, tool: dominant-hand) in a significantly shorter time than the right-handed participants. This study also showed that haptic-controlled simulation-based surgical skill training systems can potentially provide measures for better understanding the individual behaviors and deliver alternative training environments specific to individual requirements.

Simulation based surgical education programs and hand performance

The performance of the left- and right-hands of a person may be different from each other. In general, people use one hand with a superior performance compared to the other hand where that hand is preferred for performing daily activities. It is critical to understand their preference for right or left hand use, especially in cases where the skills should be improved to use both hands precisely in activities required special abilities such as endoscopic surgical operations. A better understanding of these cases will improve the quality of existing surgical education programs, and make a major contribution specifically in designing, improving and managing of simulation-based instructional technologies. In this study, the right- and left-hand preferences (handedness) of people are analyzed from the literature and a simulation-based experimental study is conducted in order to examine the performance differences of the participants while using their right and left hands. The results of this study aimed to guide the curriculum designers and instructional system developers for better designing and developing simulation-based surgical education programs.

Neuronavigation systems and passive usage problem

Nowadays, neuronavigation systems are used in brain surgery procedures, known as a technology to help the surgeon during the operational period. However, the surgeons have faced several problems with the existing systems. Some of these problems are related to the systems software and user interfaces. In this study, such problems are examined and the “Passive Usage” term is added to the literature by establishing a connection between the problems of endoscopic surgical procedures and similar issues occurred in other domains. The passive usage problem is generalized on different domains for the first time with this study. The results of the study expected to gather up the similar passive usage problems experienced in different domains. Accordingly, the methodologies and studies that are conducted in different research areas may lead to eliminate the Passive Usage problems efficiently.