Can a Validated Visuospatial Test Differentiate Expert Veterinary Surgeons and Nonsurgeons?

Introduction: The identification of the technical skills required in certain professions through the use of aptitude tests is desirable and its benefits have been demonstrated by several human healthcare studies. This study used the human healthcare model to compare the visuospatial skills of specialist surgeons, inexperienced surgeons, and veterinarians practicing nonsurgical disciplines.

Materials and Methods: A group of 37 surgeons working in specialist multi-disciplinary hospitals were tested using the Hidden Figures Test (HFT). Their results were compared to 23 nonsurgeons. The results were also compared according to gender and age; i.e. younger (20–30), middle-aged (30–50), and older subjects (50–60).

Results: Median test duration was 170 seconds (160–390) and 223 seconds (505.2–135.6) for surgeons and nonsurgeons, respectively. Variance for nonsurgeons was larger than for surgeons. A significant difference was found between surgeons and nonsurgeons (p < 0.001). There was no significant effect of gender (p = 0.385); however, there was a significant effect of age (p = 0.012). Older subjects (50–60) spent, on average, 125 seconds and 96 seconds longer than the younger subjects (p = 0.001) and the middle aged subjects (p = 0.003), respectively.

Discussion/Conclusion: Visuospatial awareness of surgeons and younger subjects was found to be significantly better than that of nonsurgeons and older subjects, hence visuospatial skills could play a role in surgical technical competence. This finding is consistent with similar studies in the field of human healthcare.

Acknowledgements: There was no proprietary interest or funding provided for this project.

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Artikel online veröffentlicht:
11. September 2023