As one of the most extensively practiced regional block, neuraxial anesthesia is the basic skill for anesthesiologist to acquire. Recently, virtual reality (VR) has been proposed as a new simulation training method to enhance medical education. The aim of our study is to evaluate the practical skills of ultrasound scan and the satisfaction of students who undergo training using VR versus traditional didactic lecture.
This is a prospective, single-center, randomized control trial to evaluate the performance of spine ultrasound scan after different training methods. Participants were randomly divided into two groups receiving different training methods: VR spine simulator or traditional didactic teaching. After the training, participants were required to perform a preprocedural spine ultrasound scan on healthy volunteers using the stepwise technique taught in the didactic teaching session. The participants needed to acquire three key ultrasound views during the scan and recognize the anatomic structures in three ultrasound views.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
46
The participants spent 30 minutes with the VR spine simulator after receiving the didactic teaching session. The learning objective with the VR simulator is to review the 3D lumbar spine anatomic model，learn the sonoanatomy presented by a dynamic ultrasound scan of the sagittal and transverse plane, and practice a preprocedural ultrasound scan.
A 30-min traditional didactic teaching session of spine ultrasonography. This session was consisted of general spine anatomy, sonographic technique and sonoanatomy, description of five key spine ultrasonographic views (transverse spinous process view, transverse interlaminar view, parasagittal oblique interlaminar view, parasagittal articular process view, parasagittal transverse process view), and a stepwise technique of preprocedural lumbar spine scan
Composite learning score
Evaluating the self-assessed theoretical knowledge (10 points), self-assessed practical skills (20 points), self-assessed satisfaction (10 points) and willingness to applicate the technique in future practice (10 points).
Time frame: Up to 12 hours after ultrasound scan is finished
Time of scan
Defined as the time from the probe contacting the skin to acquiring the three key ultrasound views
Time frame: Up to 1 hour after ultrasound scan begins
Rate of anatomic structures recognition
The correct rate of recognition among 12 anatomic structures (posterior complex, anterior complex, lamina and erector spinae in the parasagittal oblique interlaminar view, spinous process, lamina and erector spinae transverse spinous view, articular process, transverse process, posterior complex, anterior complex and spinal canal in the transverse interlaminar view)
Time frame: Up to 12 hours after ultrasound scan is finished
Accuracy of depth measurement to the posterior complex
The measurement was deemed correct if the error was less than 0.5cm
Time frame: Up to 12 hours after ultrasound scan is finished
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