SOAR: Surgery Objective Analysis and Review (SOAR)

The purpose of this pilot study is to determine the feasibility and usability of a surgical software training platform called the SOAR Webapp that will allow Johns Hopkins surgical trainees to receive rapid qualitative and quantitative feedback on both technical skills and surgical decision-making. The SOAR Webapp is a software device comprised of artificial intelligence (AI) computer vision algorithms embedded in a standalone mobile application. The software will be able to take laparoscopic videos as input and output the automated assessments for users. The investigators will also set up the clinical and logistical infrastructure needed to conduct a pilot study to evaluate the effectiveness of the SOAR computer vision system in facilitating video-based review of trainee performed operations with feedback from an expert attending surgeon. The investigators hypothesize that the video review features of the SOAR Webapp will be an effective training aid and has the potential to improve surgical education and training.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Surgical Education and Skill Acquisition
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: SOAR Webapp-Based Video Review and Feedback

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 100

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Sherry Leung; Phone Number: 4109557518; Email: sleung7@jhu.edu
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Natalie A Moreno, MD, MHS; Phone Number: 8188046975; Email: nmoreno1@jh.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population will be general surgery residents at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. All residents from all post graduate training years will be able to participate.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Surgery Residents:

• General surgery trainee or attending surgeon at Johns Hopkins.
• Must be able to operate.
• 18 years or older

Patients:

• Undergoing laparoscopic surgery at Johns Hopkins

Exclusion Criteria:

• None for surgery residents
• Patients: cases without record of video

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Intervention / Treatment

SOAR Webapp; surgical residents through all years of training

Other: SOAR Webapp-Based Video Review and Feedback; Surgical residents will use the SOAR Webapp, a video-based surgical education platform, to review intracorporeal laparoscopic procedure recordings and receive structured feedback on technical skills and surgical decision-making. The intervention includes post-operative video review with an expert surgeon and automated analytic outputs generated by computer vision algorithms, including performance metrics and annotated video segments. The intervention is used for educational and training purposes only and does not alter patient care.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Perceived resident educational impact and accuracy of operative performance assessment as measured by the SOAR Post-Intervention Evaluation Survey	This is a survey completed by surgical trainees following use of the SOAR Web Application. The survey evaluates trainee perceptions of: Engagement in deliberate practice behaviors; Accuracy and usefulness of operative performance assessments (including psychomotor skill, tissue handling, operative progress, exposure quality, dissection quality, and error detection); Accuracy and usefulness of pre-populated operative steps; Impact of the SOAR Web Application on the frequency and quality of engagement with attending surgeons; Overall usability and perceived challenge of the SOAR Web Application All survey items are measured using a 3-point Likert scale (Never, Sometimes, Often), with higher scores indicating greater perceived frequency, accuracy, usefulness, or educational impact, depending on the item. Survey responses are analyzed at the individual item level and summarized as frequencies and proportions. The maximum score is 30, minimum 10.	2 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Johns Hopkins University
• Collaborators: Wellcome Trust; Stanford University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jeffrey K Jopling, MD, Johns Hopkins University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): July 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 7, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 7, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): January 15, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 27, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 22, 2026
• Last Verified: May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: surgical education
• Other Study ID Numbers: IRB00487162

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No