Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Human Factors
Date Submitted: Feb 20, 2024
Open Peer Review Period: Feb 22, 2024 - Apr 18, 2024
Date Accepted: Jul 17, 2024
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Usability, Ergonomics, and Educational Value of a Novel Telestration Tool for Surgical Coaching
ABSTRACT
Background:
Telementoring studies found technical challenges in achieving accurate and stable annotations during live surgery using commercially available telestration software intraoperatively.
Objective:
To address the gap, a wireless handheld telestration device was developed to facilitate dynamic user interaction with live video streams. This study presents the usability results of a first-generation handheld wireless telestration platform.
Methods:
A prototype was developed with four core hand-held functions: 1) free-hand annotation, 2) cursor navigation, 3) overlay and manipulation (rotation) of ghost (avatar) instrumentation, 4) hand-held video feed navigation on a remote monitor. This device uses a proprietary augmented reality (AR) platform. Surgeons and trainees were invited to test the core functions of the platform by performing standardized tasks. Usability, ergonomics, and educational value were evaluated with 5-point Likert scale surveys and a validated System Usability Scale (SUS).
Results:
Ten subjects (9 surgeons, 1 trainee; 5 male, 5 female) participated. Participants agreed or strongly agreed that it was easy to perform annotations (90%; neutral=0%), video feed navigation (85%; neutral=15%), and manipulation of ghost (avatar) instruments on the monitor (60%; neutral=33%). With regards to ergonomics, 40% of participants agreed or strongly agreed (neutral=40%) that the device was physically comfortable to use and hold. These results are consistent with open ended comments made on the device’s size and weight. The average SUS was 70 (median 75, interquartile range [63-84]) indicating an above average usability score. Participants responded favorably on the device’s potential educational value, particularly for postoperative coaching (agree=60%; strongly agree=40%).
Conclusions:
This study presents the preliminary usability results of a novel first-generation telestration tool customized for use in surgical coaching. Favorable usability and potential educational value were reported. Ultimately, such tools can be incorporated into pedagogical models of surgical coaching to optimize feedback and training.
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