This feasibility study will evaluate the accuracy of telementored eFAST (Extended Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma) in detecting abdominal free fluid in patients who have recently undergone liver surgery. The primary goal is to determine how well the remote-guided ultrasound can identify fluid accumulation compared to conventional ultrasound performed by a radiologist. Participants in this study will be examined with ultrasound, supported in real-time by a remote expert, to assess its accuracy and other relevant performance metrics.
The study is designed as a prospective diagnostic trial and involves 40 patients at Oslo University Hospital. Participants will receive an ultrasound examination shortly after surgery, where a nurse is guided in real-time by a remote expert via teleultrasound. The primary objective is to assess the agreement between the telementored eFAST examination and a conventional ultrasound performed by an on-site radiologist. In addition to diagnostic accuracy, the study will evaluate various performance metrics, including the duration of the telementored versus conventional examinations, network reliability, and cognitive workload using the NASA Task Load Index. The study will also explore the learning curve associated with telementored eFAST by monitoring the improvement in examination efficiency over time. These metrics will help determine the feasibility of using telementored ultrasound as a reliable diagnostic tool in postoperative care, potentially reducing the need for more resource-intensive imaging modalities and improving patient outcomes through timely decision-making.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
40
Ultrasound examination guided in real-time by a remote expert for detecting free fluid.
Oslo university hospital, Rikshospitalet
Oslo, Oslo County, Norway
RECRUITINGConcordance rate
Comparison of telementored eFAST vs. CT and expert examination with percentage agreement
Time frame: Assessed immediately after each ultrasound examination (telementored and conventional) for each participant
Exam duration
Time measurement from probe contact to mutual agreement between expert and examiner that exam is finished in minutes:seconds
Time frame: Within 72 hours of surgery for each participant
Image quality
An independent radiologist will assess the image quality using a 1-5 Likert scale based on a feedback questionnaire adapted from Mazur et al
Time frame: Assessed retrospectively at the end of data collection, expected to be within 6 months after the final recorded examination
Mental effort
Cognitive workload during eFAST, measured by NASA Task Load Index on a numerical score (1-9)
Time frame: Immediately after each telementored eFAST examination
User experience
Feedback questionnaire adapted from McBeth et al.
Time frame: Immediately after each telementored eFAST examination
Learning curve (Mental effort)
Asess improvement in eFAST exam efficiency by comparing mental effort over multiple examinations
Time frame: Data will be evaluated cumulatively at the end of the study, through study completion, estimated to be up to 6 months after the final participant's examination
Learning curve (efficiency)
Evaluate whether telementored examiners show changes in eFAST examination duration over time. The duration of each examination will be compared to previous ones for the same examiner to identify trends in efficiency across multiple sessions.
Time frame: Assessed cumulatively through study completion, estimated up to 6 months after final participant examination
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