Exploring Trainees’ Learning Experiences in a Gaze-Based Feedback Laparoscopic Training Study: A Structural Topic Modeling Approach

Laparoscopic surgery is a widely adopted due to its benefits but acquiring the necessary surgical skills involves a steep learning curve. Gaze–based training has been shown to improve novices in adopting more efficient gaze patterns to enhance motor skill acquisition in laparoscopic surgery training. However, research has not formally investigated the trainees’ perspectives and experiences in gaze-based laparoscopic training. This study applied structural topic modeling to uncover emergent topics on self-reported trainee experiences from semi-structured interviews on twenty-four participants who self-practiced the peg-transfer task across multiple sessions under three different gaze-based feedback conditions. Preliminary results revealed four topics: optimization strategies for instrument handling; speed-related strategic planning; movement skills consolidation; and procedural elements for task execution. Topic prevalence was not found to significantly differ across the three gaze-based feedback conditions. The four topics provide insights on the types of feedback that could be incorporated into adaptive, surgical training systems.