Face and Construct Validity of the SimSurgery SEP VR Simulator for Salpingectomy in Case of Ectopic Pregnancy

Abstract

Objective: To secure patient safety, skills needed for laparoscopy are preferably obtained in a non-patient setting. Therefore, we assessed face and construct validity of performance of a salpingectomy in case of ectopic pregnancy on the SimSurgery SEP VR simulator. Materials and Methods: Fifteen experienced gynecologists ( ‡ ESGE level 2) and 17 novices (no laparoscopy experience) performed the Place Arrow (PA), Inspect Abdomen (IA), and Ectopic Pregnancy (EP) tasks and evaluated realism and didactic value of the simulator on 5-point scales. Their task performance was assessed according to the time needed to complete the tasks, total instrument path length, and parameters that indicated quality of performance. Results: The experienced gynecologists performed the PA task significantly faster ( p = 0.003, Mann-Whitney U-test) and with a shorter total instrument path length ( p = 0.001) compared to novices. The experienced gynecologists performed the EP task significantly better on parameters that indicate quality of performance, such as amount of blood loss ( p = 0.019), time to react to blood loss ( p = 0.020), and time of suction in the air ( p = 0.007) compared to novices. Between both groups, no significant differences were found at all for the IA task. Data from the questionnaire revealed that, in general, all participants had a favorable opinion toward the EP module on the SimSurgery SEP. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the SimSurgery SEP simulator offers a realistic representation of the salpingectomy procedural task according to both experienced gynecologists as well as novices (face validity), and that the simulator can discriminate between different levels of expertise (construct validity) for the PA and EP tasks. The simulator is also perceived as an important additional training tool for gynecological residents. ( J GYNECOL SURG XX:1)