Equivalent-Forms Reliability of Printed and Spoken Versions of the NASA-TLX

Abstract

Sixty-four participants provided subjective workload assessments after each of 15 trials of selected laparoscopic training tasks, including cannulation, ring transfer, and rope inspection. Half of the participants responded to the NASA-TLX using the traditional printed format with manual (written) responses. The remainder listened to auditory scale cues and made vocal responses. A comparison of the two formats revealed strong (r > .80) correlations and equivalent sensitivity to task and training effects, indicating that the vocal format may be a suitable substitute for traditional administration methods in the evaluation of surgical technology.