A Simulator for Teaching Transrectal Ultrasound Procedures: How Useful and Realistic Is It?

Development and Implementation of a Simulation-Based Educational Workshop on Gynecological Brachytherapy: Pilot Study at a National Meeting

PURPOSE

Despite the importance of brachytherapy in the curative treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer, reviews of practice patterns in the United States have identified a decline in brachytherapy use in clinically appropriate patient populations. A survey of radiation oncologists identified lack of time and lack of guidance as barriers. To address these barriers, the purpose of this study was to develop a simulation-based educational (SBE) gynecologic brachytherapy workshop.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

The SBE gynecologic brachytherapy workshop was developed with expertise from 2 institutions, combining procedural simulation with a practical discussion of brachytherapy applicator insertion techniques. The primary outcome was feasibility of workshop deployment, defined as completion of all workshop components in the time allotted. Preworkshop and postworkshop surveys were also administered to assess efficacy, a secondary outcome.

RESULTS

The workshop took place at a national radiation oncology meeting, and all workshop components were completed in the 2 hours allotted. SBE stations focused on (1) fiducial placement, (2-3) applicator selection, (4) suturing, and (5) pelvic examination and applicator placement. Fourteen participants completed surveys. Respondents included residents and attending physicians. More than 50% of respondents were from academic practices and practiced gynecologic brachytherapy weekly or more. Curricular objectives for this workshop were for ≥20% trainees to report increased confidence in practice and ≥20% of trainees to report increased familiarity with applicators. After participation in the workshop, confidence in applicator choice improved in 9 of 13 participants (69%), confidence in complication management improved in 8 of 13 participants (62%), and familiarity with applicators improved in 7 of 13 participants (54%). These differences were statistically significant at α = .05.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated feasibility in using simulation for gynecologic brachytherapy education at a national meeting. Although most respondents were experienced in brachytherapy, more than half reported increased confidence and familiarity with aspects of the procedure after the workshop. Future work should address interstitial needle placement and improved time management of workshop stations.

Educating the future sonographic workforce: membership survey report from the British Medical Ultrasound Society

The British Medical Ultrasound Society (BMUS), the Consortium for the Accreditation of Sonographic Education (CASE), education providers and the NHS are working together to review how best to develop education for the future sonographic workforce. There is currently a national vacancy rate of approximately 12% across NHS Trusts. Education course placements are often limited to the number of clinical training places available within departments, resulting in a disparity between vacancies and the numbers of qualified sonographers graduating. Clearly there is a need for education to match the service demand. A term often used as a solution to the workforce problem is 'direct entry' ultrasound education. Anecdotally this term has caused confusion amongst health care professionals and as such the aim of this work was to gain an understanding of the views and opinions of BMUS members and interested professionals about direct entry training and subsequent development of any future training programmes. BMUS undertook an online survey with 286 responses. The survey provided insight into the opinions of ultrasound practitioners and the complexities of developing a relevant educational programme for the future sonographer workforce. The results suggested a number of concerns with direct entry ultrasound programmes, including insufficient training places, lack of health care background knowledge, lack of imaging knowledge and no state registration specific to sonographers. Benefits of direct entry to ultrasound training were perceived to be increasing the number of sonographers trained each year, whilst training people in their first choice profession with skills developed specific to the sonographer role. Support for direct entry ultrasound training was limited to 51% of respondents who would advocate this form of ultrasound training if it led to qualified sonographers with the same skills as sonographers exiting from current CASE accredited programmes.

The masked educator-innovative simulation in an Australian undergraduate Medical Sonography and Medical Imaging program

Introduction

Clinical learning experiences for sonography and medical imaging students can sometimes involve the practice of technical procedures with less of a focus on developing communication skills with patients. Whilst patient‐based simulation scenarios have been widely reported in other health education programmes, there is a paucity of research in sonography and medical imaging.

The aim of this study was to explore the effectiveness of Mask‐Ed^™ (KRS Simulation) in the learning and teaching of clinical communication skills to undergraduate medical sonography and medical imaging students. Mask‐Ed^™ (KRS Simulation) is a simulation technique where the educator is hidden behind wearable realistic silicone body props including masks.

Methods

Focus group interviews were conducted with 11 undergraduate medical sonography and medical imaging students at CQUniversity, Australia. The number of participants was limited to the size of the cohort of students enrolled in the course. Prior to these interviews participants were engaged in learning activities that featured the use of the Mask‐Ed^™ (KRS Simulation) method. Thematic analysis was employed to explore how the introduction of Mask‐Ed^™ (KRS Simulation) contributed to students' learning in relation to clinical communication skills.

Results

Key themes included: benefits of interacting with someone real rather than another student, learning made fun, awareness of empathy, therapeutic communication skills, engaged problem solving and purposeful reflection.

Conclusions

Mask‐Ed^™ (KRS Simulation) combined with interactive sessions with an expert facilitator, contributed positively to students' learning in relation to clinical communication skills. Participants believed that interacting with someone real, as in the Mask‐Ed characters was beneficial. In addition to the learning being described as fun, participants gained an awareness of empathy, therapeutic communication skills, engaged problem solving and purposeful reflection.

Learning ultrasound gesture database: building and application to musculoskeletal ultrasound exams

Our aim is to develop a frame work for virtually learning the ultrasound exams. In this paper we address the method used to build the image database required for this frame work. The used materiel and the proposed methodology are presented and explained. The realized prototype has been used to build the database of ultrasound images.

Role of simulation-based education in ultrasound practice training

The aim of this systematic review was to determine whether ultrasound (US)/US procedural simulation leads to improvement in US competence, particularly in the clinical setting. The electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, ERIC, and OVID were searched for relevant published articles between 1950 and April 2011. Fourteen articles of an initial 371 articles met the inclusion criteria. The eligible studies differed in terms of the study population, sample size, study design, US simulator used, and measured outcomes. Most of the studies demonstrated acquisition of knowledge and skills with suggestions of correlation with simulation training and improved performance in the same simulated environment. There is little compelling evidence based on published studies at present to support the widespread adoption of simulation-based medical education to improve clinical US competence.