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Published on: August 11, 2023
Simulation-Based Training May Improve Resident Skill in Ultrasound-Guided Biopsy
Nicholas Fulton1, Ji Buethe1, Jayakrishna Gollamudi1
11 Department of Radiology, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, 11100 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44106.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to determine whether simulation-based training can improve resident performance in ultrasound-guided biopsy.
Subjects And Methods:
Forty radiology residents from a single academic institution enrolled in the study. Each resident performed an initial biopsy on an abdominal imaging phantom using direct ultrasound guidance. Twenty of the residents underwent a 30-minute training session with the phantom device, and 20 residents received no additional training. The residents performed a repeat biopsy of the same lesion and were graded on overall procedure time, number of skin surface punctures, number of gross needle adjustments, and subjective performance as determined by a blinded grader.
Results:
Residents who participated in the training had a statistically significant 92.3-second reduction in procedure time (68% improvement, p = 0.01), 1.1 reduction in number of skin punctures per biopsy (50% improvement, p = 0.05), 2.5 reduction in number of needle adjustments (66% improvement, p = 0.04), and an increase of 0.85 points in score on a 5-point Likert grading scale (23% improvement, p < 0.01). Residents who did not receive any additional training did not improve in any performance metric.
Conclusion:
Simulation-based training improves overall procedure time, number of skin punctures and needle adjustments, and subjective performance.
