A research study to assess the practicality of using haptic devices to train physicians to perform sub-arachnoid blocks is currently underway in Europe. The MedCAP study, as it is called, is utilizing the popular PHANTOM® force-feedback system from SensAble of Woburn, MA.
Led by the Cork University Hospital, the MedCAP team developed a virtual reality computer-based simulator with which anesthetists hold a SensAble haptic device – like a high-precision Nintendo Wii -– as 3D computer screens direct them to perform a lumbar puncture procedure. The haptic device literally pushes back on the user’s hand so they feel surface tension as the spinal needle meets the skin; a “pop” as it punctures the skin; and the different viscosities of tissue, ligaments, cerebrospinal fluid and dura mater, the tough outer layer of the meninges surrounding the spinal cord. Should trainees puncture too far and enter the other meninges or the spinal cord itself – or puncture only into the skin –they feel different sensations and receive immediate alarms and on-screen error messages.
In the clinical trials, groups of skilled anesthetists and residents-in-training must perform a lumbar puncture on six virtual patients who present at different ages and complications, and answer a battery of clinical care questions. The simulator is blind to the user’s experience level, merely recording and scoring them on nearly 200 competencies and calculating a score that suggests the user is either a knowledgeable practitioner, or a trainee. Users receive detailed feedback on their performance, so that they can practice any areas of weakness until they achieve competency. Once clinical trials are completed this fall, results are expected to show that the practicing anesthetists score better than residents-in-training – suggesting the simulator is a valid competency assessment tool.
MedCAP project page: Competence Assessment for Spinal Anaesthesia …
SensAble press release: European Hospitals Test Anesthetists’ Skills On Computers, Not People, Using SensAble’s Haptic Devices …
Product page: SensAble Technologies PHANTOM …
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