Augmented Reality-aided Rescue Ultrasound Curriculum for Perioperative Crisis Management.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Anesthesiology
• Point-of-Care Ultrasound

Background:

• Managing hemodynamically unstable patients requires timely ultrasound assessment.
• Traditional training may not adequately prepare residents for rapid ultrasound integration.
• Developing proficiency in rescue ultrasound (RUS) is crucial for anesthesiology practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an augmented reality-aided multimodal competency-based curriculum for anesthesiology residents' rescue ultrasound (RUS) skills.
• To assess the impact of this novel curriculum on the timely use of ultrasound in managing hemodynamically unstable patients.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, quasi-experimental study with pre-post intervention design was conducted at a university hospital.
• Third-year anesthesia residents (CA-3) were enrolled, with 15 completing the novel RUS curriculum and a control group receiving traditional training.
• Augmented reality (HoloLens) and task trainers were used to teach RUS skills, with competency benchmarks based on motion metrics data.

Main Results:

• Residents trained with the AR-aided RUS curriculum initiated ultrasound calls significantly faster (72.3 seconds) compared to non-trained residents (294.9 seconds).
• Motion metrics data indicated that curriculum-trained residents' RUS skills were comparable to expert anesthesiologists.
• Clinical transferability was assessed via simulated unstable patient scenarios.

Conclusions:

• The augmented reality-aided multimodal RUS curriculum is an effective training modality for developing critical ultrasound skills in anesthesiology residents.
• Residents trained with the novel curriculum integrated ultrasound earlier during hemodynamic instability.
• The developed RUS skills demonstrated expert-level performance and clinical applicability.