An Echocardiography Training Program for Improving the Left Ventricular Function Interpretation in Emergency...

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Cardiology
• Medical Education

Background:

• Focused training in transthoracic echocardiography is crucial for emergency physicians (EPs) to accurately assess left ventricular function.
• This study evaluated a brief training program using standardized echocardiography video clips to improve EP skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of a 1-hour echocardiography training program for EPs.
• To determine if standardized video clips improve the estimation of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and E-point septal separation (EPSS).

Main Methods:

• A before-and-after study design was employed.
• The training involved a 1-hour session with a PowerPoint presentation and standardized echocardiography video clips.
• Pre- and post-training tests used unique video clips to evaluate LVEF and EPSS estimation skills.

Main Results:

• Twenty-one EPs with minimal prior experience participated.
• Mean scores for LVEF estimation improved significantly from 4.9 to 7.6 (p<0.0001).
• Mean scores for EPSS categorization improved significantly from 4.1 to 8.1 (p<0.0001).

Conclusions:

• A short lecture with standardized echocardiography clips significantly improved EPs' ability to categorize left ventricular function.
• The training program effectively enhanced EPs' skills in assessing key echocardiographic parameters.
• This approach offers a practical method for improving echocardiography proficiency in emergency medicine.