Impact of Simulation Training on Radiology Resident Performance in Neonatal Head Ultrasound

The aim of this study was to determine whether resident performance in head ultrasound on neonates improves following brain phantom simulation training.

Ten junior radiology residents with at least one year of radiology training were divided into two equal groups. Both groups received a detailed head ultrasound protocol sheet and observed a technologist perform a head ultrasound on a neonatal patient at the beginning of their first pediatric radiology rotation. Both groups of residents also received teaching with a brain phantom model. Group A residents independently performed one head ultrasound exam, subsequently received phantom simulation training, and then performed a post-training head ultrasound exam. Group B residents received phantom simulation training prior to their first head ultrasound exam. Three pediatric radiologists independently and blindly reviewed the ultrasound images of each head ultrasound exam for proficiency of image acquisition using a validated scoring system. Scores of Group A residents prior to phantom training were compared to their scores after phantom training as well as to scores of Group B residents using simple linear regression.

There was a statistically significant improvement in the performance of head ultrasound on neonates when comparing the same residents pre- and postphantom training (p = 0.003). Residents who initially trained with the phantom performed significantly better on their first head ultrasound examination on a neonate than those residents who did not (p = 0.005).

Our novel head ultrasound phantom training model significantly improves radiology resident performance of head ultrasound on neonates and may, therefore, be beneficial for residency education.