Criteria of interface evaluation for computer assisted surgery systems

Abstract Objectives: The evaluation of computer assisted surgery (CAS) systems in terms of clinical outcomes and ergonomic features is more and more relevant. The goal of this paper is to provide criteria to define effective evaluation protocols of HCI for CAS systems. Method: The proposed criteria include the use of two questionnaires prepared by the authors, aimed at analyzing the subjective feeling of the surgeons in using the system’s tools, and objective aspects of the system. These questionnaire have to be submitted to system’s end-users and to experts in HCI development iteratively during the system development or once at the end. A quantitative evaluation of the main parameters related to the surgical application is also required as an index of system efficacy. The demonstration application was planning software developed for the total knee replacement (TKR). Results and Conclusions: In our TKR planning software the proposed evaluation procedure provided useful indications about the efficacy of HCI and also about further developments of its design and functionality. Moreover, since surgical training systems and surgical navigation platforms also share data treatment and layout similar to the presented TKR planner, these kinds of applications can benefit directly from the proposed approach to HCI design and evaluation.