Eye tracking: the silver bullet of competency assessment in medical image interpretation?

Abstract

‘Eye tracking may be valuable for informing assessments of competency progression during medical education and training’ [1]. Brunye et al. [1] and other researchers (e.g. [2]) have made this suggestion to argue the relevance of using eye tracking to investigate medical image interpretation. Eye tracking is a technique to measure the movements of the eyes to investigate what a person looks at, for how long, and in what order [3]. It can help us to go beyond mere outcome measures (i.e. the percentage of cases correctly diagnosed) and provide an insight into the process of medical image interpretation. Whereas previous research has shown that eye tracking is a very useful tool to investigate the interpretation of medical images (such as angiograms), the field is not yet at a point where eye tracking can be used for competency assessment in clinical practice. In this commentary on ‘Eye-tracking during dynamic medical image interpretation: a pilot feasibility study comparing novice vs expert cardiologists’ [1] I discuss what eye tracking could add to competency assessment, which eye-tracking measures are potential markers of expertise, and what is still needed before they can be used for competency assessment.