Analysis of Surgical Intervention Populations Using Generic Surgical Process Models Authors

Purpose: No methods for the generation and comparison of statistical ‘mean’ surgical patient treatments are available. Such models might be beneficial for the advanced assessment and evaluation of surgical strategies, surgical instruments, devices and assist systems, optimization protocols, and for educational purposes. The availability of ‘mean’ surgical intervention courses of a patient population would also offer a new methodological quality. This may be applicable in more technical research fields, as well, such as the development of surgical workflow management systems for the operating room of the future. Methods: Based on several measurements of individual patient surgical treatments, we calculated a ‘mean’ intervention model, called generic Surgical Process Model (gSPM), for a population of interventions with certain characteristics. Methods for the acquisition, registration of individual patient intervention descriptions, and the calculation of ‘mean’ treatment models are presented in this article. Example application: The approach was applied to an example application from eye surgery. Protocols of 102 cataract interventions were divided into two populations: ambulatory and inpatient treatments. For each of the populations it was shown, how differences of gSPMs were assessed and quantified. Additionally, it was possible to identify a statistically most probable intervention course by using the presented methods. Conclusions: This article introduces the computation and use of statistical ‘mean’ surgical interventions, termed generic Surgical Process Models (gSPMs). It will show, that differences over larger intervention populations might be identified and quantified. This gives the opportunity to increase evidence for clinical, technical, and in se rm -0 05 46 45 6, v er si on 1 6 Ju n 20 11 Neumuth et al. Analysis of Surgical Interventions Using gSPMs page 3 of 28 administrative decision making, e.g. for the application of alternative surgical strategies or investments for surgical assist systems. in se rm -0 05 46 45 6, v er si on 1 6 Ju n 20 11 Neumuth et al. Analysis of Surgical Interventions Using gSPMs page 4 of 28