Do operators take advantage of a secondary, global-perspective display when performing a simulated laparoscopic search task?

Multi-display surgical environments have the potential to increase performance and efficiency while decreasing errors and workload. However as more and more information is required for complex task execution and decision making, we must continually assess how the information is presented and whether we are helping or hindering surgeons by providing more content. Most laparoscopic surgeries are performed utilizing a single, two-dimensional (2-D) display. In the current experiment, we compared display usage, subjective workload, and workload measured via eye-tracking data to determine the effectiveness of an additional three-dimensional (3-D) display for a simulated surgical search task. We found that while participants did use the additional display in less demanding conditions (e.g., with fewer search targets), they did not use the supplemental display in conditions with greater demands, and they did not receive a substantial benefit from the presence of the supplemental display in either condition. Both increased saccades per target and increased perceived workload via the NASA-TLX provided support that more workload was experienced in conditions with more targets. And while participants did perceive decreased workload for more targets when the 3-D display was available, eye-tracking metrics were not consistent with participants' subjective workload estimates. Since subjective workload ratings may be influenced by expectancies for benefits for the additional display, future research should attempt to understand this workload dissociation as well as breakdowns in the usage of supplemental displays as a function of task difficulty.