Oxford Orthopaedic Simulation and Education Centre (OOSEC)
With most surgical interventions the surgeon is the major factor responsible for patient outcome. It is increasingly apparent that accuracy of implantation of joint replacements and acquisition of skill in minimally invasive surgery are crucially important determinants of patient outcome, particularly in the avoidance of complications and adverse incidents.
Newer minimally invasive approaches are now more technically demanding and likely to result in greater variation in patient outcome in the future unless other methods of training and assessment of competence are developed.
Professor Rees and his group are leaders in this field of research and have set up the Oxford Orthopaedic Simulation and Education Centre (OOSEC). Project themes now include:
- Improving surgical performance using surgical simulation studies.
- Development of surgical skill assessment tools including a wireless objective assessment device for measuring surgical skills .
- Learning curve studies with protocol and guideline development for learning and training.
- Performance studies based on experience and operative numbers.
- Talent Identification - to aid surgical selection processes
- Transfer validation studies to investigate the true impact on patient outcome of simulation training in orthopaedics.
Our team
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Jonathan Rees
Head of Department
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Abtin Alvand
Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer in Orthopaedic Surgery and Consultant Knee Surgeon
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Andrew Price
Senior Clinical Research Fellow
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Rob Middleton
NJR/RCS Research Fellow & DPhil student
McLaren Applied Technologies
Professor Rees is collaborating with McLaren Applied Technologies (MAT) to improve the arthroscopic (keyhole surgery) performance and training of surgeons.
Project 1. First practical 'wireless' motion system for the assessment and monitoring of surgical skills learning and surgical performance.
This project will directly impact delivery of care to patients by offering potential for better evidenced based surgical training and monitoring of learning and surgical performance.
Assessment of surgical skill is a critical component of surgical training and many approaches to assessment remain subjective. We have worked with MAT to develop and validate elbow worn, wireless, miniaturized motion sensors to assess the technical skill of trainees performing defined arthroscopic orthopaedic procedures in a simulated environment. The development and validation of such elbow sensors now offers a truly objective training assessment in the live operating environment.
The project has been specific to orthopaedic arthroscopic surgery, but now has the potential to translate across the surgical disciplines.