Impact of a 4-hour Introductory eFAST Training Intervention Among Ultrasound-Naïve U.S. Military Medics

Advances in the portability of ultrasound have allowed it to be increasingly employed at the point of care in austere settings. Battlefield constraints often limit the availability of medical officers throughout the operational environment, leading to increased interest in whether highly portable ultrasound devices can be employed by military medics to enhance their provision of combat casualty care. Data evaluating optimal training for effective medic employment of ultrasound is limited however. This prospective observational cohort study's primary objective was to assess the impact of a 4-hour introductory training intervention on ultrasound-naïve military medic participants' knowledge/performance of the eFAST application.

Conventional U.S. Army Medics, all naïve to ultrasound, were recruited from across JBLM. Volunteer participants underwent baseline eFAST knowledge assessment via a 50-question multiple-choice exam. Participants were then randomized to receive either conventional, expert-led classroom didactic training or didactic training via an online, asynchronously available platform. All participants then underwent expert-led, small group hands-on training and practice. Participants' eFAST performance was then assessed with both live and phantom models, followed by a post-course knowledge exam. Concurrently, emergency medicine (EM) resident physician volunteers, serving as standard criterion for trained personnel, underwent the same OSCE assessments, followed by a written exam to assess their baseline eFAST knowledge. Primary outcome measures included (1) post-course knowledge improvement, (2) eFAST exam technical adequacy, and (3) eFAST exam OSCE score. Secondary outcome measures were time to exam completion and diagnostic accuracy rate for hemoperitoneum and hemopericardium. These outcome measures were then compared across medic cohorts and to those of the EM resident physician cohort.

A total of 34 medics completed the study. After 4 hours of ultrasound training, overall eFAST knowledge among the 34 medics improved from a baseline mean of 27% on the pretest to 83% post-test. For eFAST exam performance, the medics scored an average of 20.8 out of a maximum of 22 points on the OSCE. There were no statistically significant differences between the medics who received asynchronous learning versus traditional classroom-based learning, and the medics demonstrated comparable performance to previously trained EM resident physicians.

A 4-hour introductory eFAST training intervention can effectively train conventional military medics to perform the eFAST exam. Online, asynchronously available platforms may effectively mitigate some of the resource requirement burden associated with point-of-care ultrasound training. Future studies evaluating medic eFAST performance on real-world battlefield trauma patients are needed. Skill and knowledge retention must also be assessed for this degradable skill to determine frequency of refresher training when not regularly performed.