Fake it ‘till you make it: a randomized prospective cohort study examining the

Option 4

educational role of ultrasound simulation

Emily Barney Hall MD, Amanda Kumar MD

Introduction

• Traditional educational methods for regional anesthesia (RA) struggle to

address the procedural aspect of the specialty.

• There is a growing market for technology-guided training in RA.

• This educational prospective randomized trial addresses how we

approach novice RA learners with hopes to promote learner performance

and confidence, and in turn improve patient safety and outcomes.

Materials & Methods

• All participants completed a baseline survey. Participants were

randomized into Group 1 (2 hours of independent study using traditional

methods) or Group 2 (2 hours of access to the same materials in addition

to an ultrasound task trainer, Valkyrie eZSimulator).

• Both groups performed 3 procedures: in-plane nerve block, out-of-plane

nerve block and intravenous access, then completed a post-survey.

Results

• 14 learners completed the study, split evenly between the study groups.

• Per Table 1, time that needle tip was in view was statistically significant for

the in-plane nerve block.

• One critical error was encountered in the control group

• There was no difference between the groups in performance of the

ultrasound guided intravenous access procedure.

• The control group identified the simulator as more helpful than the

intervention group.

Discussion

• In this randomized prospective trial, increased exposure to an

Option 4

ultrasound task trainer statistically significantly improved needle tip

visualization with the in-plane approach to RA.

• Out-of-plane procedural practices may struggle with the fidelity

limitations of the current technology.

• Learners endorsed improved comfort and confidence after utilization

of the simulation regardless of their group assignment.

• This specific trainer is unique in that it can be operated

independently from any location, making practice of RA simple, cost-

efficient and independent.

• This study is limited by

a small sample size of

novice learners.

• Further investigation

on a larger scale is

warranted to provide

clarity on the possible

utilization in learning

curriculums in the

future.