Alexandria M Hertz, MD, Evalyn I George, BS, Christine M Vaccaro, DO, Timothy C Brand, MD. Madigan Army Medical Center
Objectives: Compare the face and content validity of the three most prevalent robotic simulators, and to include discussion regarding pricing and availability.
Materials/Methods: 15 participants were asked to complete one task on three different robotic trainers, in any order: Mimic dvTrainer, Intuitive daVinci Surgical Skills Simulator (DVSS), and Symbionix RobotiX Mentor. Following this they completed previously validated face and content validity questionnaires as well as a demographics questionnaire. The average scores of the face and content validation portions for each trainer were then compared using ANOVA using SPSS software.
Results: 15 participants had an average age of 29.6 (range 25-41), the majority being surgical trainees, with an average of 8.6 robotic primary cases. Average scores of the face and content questionnaires for the trainers were as follows: DVSS- 27.18/27.96, dvTrainer- 21.36/23.34, and RobotiX- 24.72/26.82. This was on a scale of 5-30 consisting of multiple domains. ANOVA showed a significant difference between the DVSS and dvTrainer for face validity (p= 0.001). There was no significant difference for the RobotiX Mentor compared with dvTrainer (p=0.092), with trend favoring the RobotiX Mentor. There was no significant difference between DVSS and RobotiX mentor. Content validity results were similar. Significant differences were seen between the DVSS and dvTrainer (p=0.021), and trend towards significance between RobotiX mentor and dvTrainer (p=0.092). There was no significant difference between the DVSS and RobotiX mentor (p=1.0).
When comparing costs, the DVSS is the most cost effective for simulator alone ($80,000), however this requires a surgeon console (a cost of $500,000) which may not be available due to surgical demands. The dvTrainer and Robotix Mentor are similarly priced at $119,000 and $137,000, respectively.
Conclusions: All trainers demonstrated good face and content validity. The highest scores were with the DVSS. Use of the DVSS may be limited due to console availability.
Presented at the SAGES 2017 Annual Meeting in Houston, TX.
Abstract ID: 86361
Program Number: MSS24
Presentation Session: Full-Day Military Surgical Symposium – General Surgery Presentations
Presentation Type: MSSPodium
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