Workflow assessment as a preclinical development tool

Purpose Minimally invasive cochlear implant surgery is a challenging procedure due to high demands on accuracy. For clinical success, an according assistance system has to compete against the traditional approach in terms of risk, operating time and cost. It has not yet been determined what kind of system is the most suited. The purpose of this study is a proof of concept of surgical process modeling as a preclinical development tool and the comparison of workflow concepts for this new approach.