More Than Meets the Eye: Physicians’ Visual Attention in the Operating Room

During surgery, the patient’s vital signs and the field of endoscopic view are displayed on multiple screens. As a result, both surgeons’ and anesthesiologists’ visual attention (VA) is crucial. Moreover, the distribution of said VA and the acquisition of specific cues might directly impact patient outcomes. Recent research utilizes portable, head-mounted eye-tracking devices to gather precise and comprehensive information. Nevertheless, these technologies are not feasible for enduring data acquisition in an operating room (OR) environment. This is particularly the case during medical emergencies. This study presents an alternative methodology: a webcam-based gaze target prediction model. Such an approach may provide continuous visual behavioral data with minimal interference to the physicians’ workflow in the OR. The proposed end-to-end framework is suitable for both standard and emergency surgeries. In the future, such a platform may serve as a crucial component of context-aware assistive technologies in the OR.