Technical Skills Assessment Toolbox

Abstract

This study provides an assessment toolbox for common surgical skills/procedures. Our review shows that few authors have used the contemporary unitary concept of validity for development of their assessment tools. As we progress toward competency-based training, future studies should provide evidence for various sources of validity using the contemporary framework.

Analysis of motion in laparoscopy: the deconstruction of an intra-corporeal suturing task

“…We acknowledge that a contemporary framework of validity is accepted as superior by researchers and authors in surgical education. However, more traditional validation methods are still accepted for instructional purposes and/or formative assessment, whereas summative and high stakes assessments (such as medical certification) require more extensive validation, such as through Messick's contemporary framework [11]. Given that our goal is educational, we feel that we fall into the former category, not the latter.…”

“…This could streamline the process of evaluation and, in the case of motion analysis, allow for focused and even shorter, real-time assessments. However, if the ultimate goal shifted from education to high stakes assessment (for purposes of accreditation), the use of a more contemporary framework of validation would be mandatory [11].…”

A systematic review of performance assessment tools for laparoscopic cholecystectomy

“…We performed a systematic literature search of all full-text articles published between January 1989 and April 2013 according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines (3). Search strategies were developed with the assistance of a health science librarian (E.L).…”

“…Validity is defined as appropriate interpretation of assessment results; a validation study is a process of collecting evidence to support the interpretations of assessment results [2,3]. The five sources of validity (content, response process, internal structure, relations to other variables, and consequences) were evaluated according to the Standards established by the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education [2,4,5].…”

Objective Assessment of Surgical Technical Skill and Competency in the Operating Room

“…Traditionally, subjective assessment of technical skill was embedded within the Halstedian apprenticeship model for surgical training. More recently, global rating scales (GRS), such as the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills [OSATS-GRS (20)], have been developed for objective and standardized assessment (21–24). Although GRS accurately distinguish surgeons with different levels of experience (22), integrating them into surgical training curricula has been limited, in part due to resource constraints because they require an expert observer (21, 25).…”