Surgical Education Learners Forum/Perioperative Nursing/Laparoscopy Setup/Psychomotor Skills Practice Assessment

Assessment Rubric: Laparoscopy Setup and Assistance – Perioperative Nursing (ECSACONM)

Overview

This page provides a psychomotor assessment rubric for laparoscopy setup and assistance, developed for perioperative nursing training under ECSACONM (East, Central and Southern Africa College of Nursing). It accompanies the corresponding psychomotor skills practice worksheet and is used to assess learner performance across each step. The learner will need an assistant to play the role of circulator nurse and then surgeon as well as a person to film the procedure.

Each step is assessed by one of two methods. Articulated steps are scored as either "Not done" (clinically unacceptable) or "Done" (excellent), with no intermediate levels. Observed steps are scored on a five-point scale, with performance anchors defined at level 1 (clinically unacceptable), level 3 (clinically acceptable), and level 5 (excellent); levels 2 and 4 represent performance between the defined anchors. The Assistant column records the task expected of the assisting learner where applicable.

Assessment Rubric

#	Step Name	Assistant	Assessment Method	1 – Clinically Unacceptable	3 – Clinically Acceptable	5 – Excellent
1	Assemble laparoscopic equipment and sterile supplies	N/A	Articulated	Not done		Done
2	Verify procedure requirements	N/A	Articulated	Not done		Done
3	Position laparoscopic tower and monitor	N/A	Articulated	Cannot articulate principles of tower placement.	Articulates how tower should be positioned in their OR opposite the surgeon, with monitor at appropriate viewing height, wheels locked, and cables routed safely.	Articulates how tower placement in their OR with respect to the patient, surgeon and anesthesiologist optimizes ergonomics, movement, visualization, and cable management without requiring adjustment.
4	Connect power and perform initial equipment check	N/A	Articulated	Skipped.	States that all illuminator, electrosurgical and relevant video/display equipment connected securely, powered on correctly, and startup checks completed.	In addition to standard setup, indicates they proactively set power levels and places foot pedals for surgeon use.
5	Verify CO2 to insufflation system	N/A	Articulated	Skipped	Describes where the gas source is connected and how to check at their hospital, describes setting pressure, flow, and normal function confirmation and how to place device in standby	Describes where the gas source is connected and how to check at their hospital, describes setting pressure, flow, and normal function confirmation and how to place device in standby
6	Scrub in	N/A	Articulated	Skipped	Simply Articulated that it is performed	Simply Articulated that it is performed
7	Set up open instruments on back table	N/A	Articulated	Skipped	Articulates the traditional open instruments needed and how they relate to the space reserved for laparoscopic instruments	Articulates the traditional open instruments needed and how they relate to the space reserved for laparoscopic instruments
8	Open Laparoscopic sets	Opens supplies aseptically confirms count	Observed	Sterile field contaminated or instruments brought to field without confirmation of contents of kit.	Aseptic technique followed without breach, and every needed instrument verified in kit.	Maintains excellent sterile awareness while organizing and verifying equipment for efficient assembly. Deficiencies identified and rectified.
9	Assemble and organize laparoscopic instruments	Verifies count and provides replacements when requested	Observed	Fails to inspect or test instruments while assembling. Handles instruments roughly.	Performs inspection of tips, jaws, shafts, insulation, handles, locks, rotation, needed cables and accessories while unloading, assembling and performing logical organization by function.	Performs inspection and test during assembly and layout, demonstrates knowledge of the planned procedure and only assembles appropriate instruments for that procedure, and organizes to support workflow and anticipated surgical needs
10	Assemble, connect and drape (as needed) the camera system	Support handoff of cameras and draping	Observed	Contamination or dropping of the camera equipment, failure to dry off disinfectant.	Camera, scope, and cables connected correctly, wiped clean of any disinfectant, and placed on the sterile table.	System assembled efficiently with strict adherence to difference between high level disinfection and sterility (for example double gloving) and careful cable management to prevent sliding off the back table.
11	Connect light source and test camera	Assists with plugging in and turning on illuminator	Observed	Cable handed off without managing sterility, cable not inspected, white balance or focus test omitted. Camera placed back on table still illuminated.	Light cable inspected, handed off to circulator and connected correctly. White balance, focus tested and camera placed in standby.	Demonstrates excellent cable handling, optimal routing, and verifies illumination while preventing cable damage. Optimizes focus, colour, brightness, and orientation rapidly while confirming excellent visualization. Optimizes placement of monitors during camera testing.
12	Patient brought into room, prepped and draped	N/A	Articulated	Does not state the required actions, or states actions that would compromise the sterile field, interfere with patient positioning, or create unsafe cable or equipment placement.	States that laparoscopic equipment remains protected while the patient is positioned, prepped, and draped; the sterile field is maintained; and the tower, monitor, cables, tubing, and sterile equipment are checked for correct position and accessibility before proceeding.	States that after final patient positioning and draping, tower and monitor position are confirmed for the planned procedure; cables and tubing are routed without tension, contamination, or interference with the sterile field or team movement; sufficient length is maintained for planned connections and instrument movement; and any conflicts are corrected before the procedure begins.
13	Hand off all energy instrument cables	Assists with plugging in cables and foot pedal placement	Observed	Has incorrect accessories, performs poor handoff of cables (plugs touch the floor), fails to specify initial settings, damaged equipment overlooked.	Smooth handoff of cables for plugging in, settings verified, all accessories compatible with equipment.	Demonstrates smooth handoff of cables, conscientious cable management and control on table, and effective communication and direction of circulator nurse throughout setup.
14	Hand off all tubing from sterile field for connection	Assists plugging in and priming all tubing	Observed	Incorrect accessories, poor handoff of tubing or failure to control stiff tubing, failure to test/flush.Cables or tubes dropped when being handled on field, or failure to secure path after passage.	Cables and instruments smoothly handled on the field, secured with clamps to patient drapes to prevent falling to the floor. Tubing passed off correctly, primed, tested, and functioning without leaks.	Cables and instruments smoothly handled on field, secured with clamps to patient drapes with optimized service loop to be returned to back table. Instruments tucked into pockets on side where available. Performs efficient setup while anticipating the management of stiff tubing smoothly on the back table.
15	Assist in Initial establishment of pneumoperitoneum	(as surgeon) performs the simulated sequence receiving and using instruments	Observed	Does not anticipate needed materials (scalpel, clamps,veress needle, trocar, camera) or instruments handled dangerously without proper sharps protection. Dislodges needle or trocar when assisting	Provides surgeon with correct order of instruments when prompted: Scalpel, clamps, veress needle or Hasson trocar, trocar, and camera. Attaches tubing for insufflation without dislodging needle or trocar.	Smoothly assists with each step without missing any details and anticipating every step without prompting. Provides trocars and veress with stopcocks closed. Smoothly attaches tubing without significantly moving needle or trocar.
16	Manage laparoscopic equipment during surgery	N/A	Articulated	Not done	Articulates how they respond appropriately to equipment needs while maintaining organized equipment throughout the procedure.	Articulates how they anticipate equipment requirements, maintain continuous readiness, and support uninterrupted surgical flow.
17	Demonstrates point-of-use instrument cleaning and protection	(as surgeon) hands back instruments to scrub	Observed	Uses poor control during receipt, fails to clean, returns instruments to random locations.	Receives instruments with a controlled grip, cleans tips, and consistently returns each instrument to its designated location while maintaining sterility.	Every exchange is smooth and controlled, instruments remain perfectly organized throughout the procedure, and no searching or unnecessary movement occurs.
18	Perform post-procedure instrument handling and field breakdown	reads back item list for verification	Observed	Handles instruments roughly, fails to keep used and unused instruments separate, omits recount, or performs unsafe field breakdown. Discards reuseable cables or tubing	Dismantles the sterile field in an organized manner, protects delicate instruments during disassembly, disposes of sharps safely, verifies all instruments and cables in the set are accounted for.	Demonstrates an efficient, systematic breakdown of the sterile field and instrument disassembly, protects all instruments from damage, completes documentation accurately, and prepares equipment for reprocessing without error.

References

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Keywords	surgery, health
SDG	SDG03 Good health and well-being
Authors	Ian-laurel
License	CC-BY-SA-4.0
Language	English (en)
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Created	July 29, 2026 by Ian-laurel-1
Last edit	September 7, 2026 by 2C0F:F0F8:858:FA00:F489:16BC:F084:A3BF
Cite as	Ian-laurel-1 (2026). "SELF/Perioperative Nursing/Laparoscopy Setup/Psychomotor Skills Practice Assessment". Appropedia. Retrieved September 7, 2026.
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