Can Ultrasound Simulation Practice Enhance Practical Skills and Academic Knowledge?
Each week we will feature a different poster from Ultrasound 2022. This week we are featuring a poster by Can Ultrasound Simulation Practice Enhance Practical Skills and Academic Knowledge?, by Mohammad Haroon Qarib, London Northwest University Healthcare NHS Trust Ultrasound Training Academy..
Introduction
The use of ultrasound simulator is becoming more popular in ultrasound training centres, it is important to evaluate if ultrasound simulator practice can enhance practical skills and academic knowledge of ultrasound trainees. Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the views of ultrasound trainees who were using the ultrasound simulator at the London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust Ultrasound Academy during their training programme and to determine if using an ultrasound simulator enhanced their practical skills and academic knowledge.
Method
A questionnaire was designed to explore the views of 32 trainees who were using the Scan Trainer ultrasound simulator during their training. The completed questionnaires from 23 respondents were used for data analysis to evaluate if using the ultrasound simulator enhanced their practical and academic knowledge.
Results
The results showed that 100% of respondents thought that the ultrasound simulator enhanced their practical skills and academic knowledge at the beginning of their training, 43% agreed that ultrasound simulator practice enhanced their practical skills and academic knowledge at the middle of their training while only 13% thought it enhanced their practical skills and academic knowledge at the end of their training. This study also found that 20% agreed that trainees should use the ultrasound simulator on a daily basis for an average of 1.8 hours/day, 40% agreed an average usage of 3.5 hours/week and 40% agreed an average usage of 10 hours/month. The majority (96%) agreed that ultrasound simulator practice cannot replace patient-based ultrasound practice.
Conclusions
Using the ultrasound simulator can enhance practical skills and academic knowledge, it should be used regularly by all trainees who have access to an ultrasound simulator at the beginning and middle stages of their training. The majority of respondents agreed that simulation training cannot replace patient-based scanning.