Transfer from point-of-care Ultrasonography training to diagnostic performance on patients--a randomized controlled trial

Tobias Todsen; Morten Lind Jensen; Martin Grønnebæk Tolsgaard; Beth Härstedt Olsen; Birthe Merete Henriksen; Jens Georg Hillingsø; Lars Konge; Charlotte Ringsted

doi:10.1016/j.amjsurg.2015.05.025

Transfer from point-of-care Ultrasonography training to diagnostic performance on patients--a randomized controlled trial

Am J Surg. 2016 Jan;211(1):40-5. doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2015.05.025. Epub 2015 Jul 31.

Authors

Tobias Todsen¹, Morten Lind Jensen², Martin Grønnebæk Tolsgaard³, Beth Härstedt Olsen⁴, Birthe Merete Henriksen⁵, Jens Georg Hillingsø⁶, Lars Konge⁷, Charlotte Ringsted⁸

Affiliations

¹ Centre for Clinical Education, University of Copenhagen, The Capital Region of Denmark, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark; Greenland Center for Health Research, University of Greenland, Manutooq 1, 3905 Nuuk, Greenland. Electronic address: tobiastodsen@gmail.com.
² Centre for Clinical Education, University of Copenhagen, The Capital Region of Denmark, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark; Global Development, Novo Nordisk A/S, Bagsvaerd, Denmark.
³ Centre for Clinical Education, University of Copenhagen, The Capital Region of Denmark, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nordsjællands University Hospital, Hillerød, Denmark.
⁴ Department of Radiology, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark.
⁵ Department of Radiology, Ultrasound Section, Diagnostic Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁶ Department of Surgery, Abdominal Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
⁷ Centre for Clinical Education, University of Copenhagen, The Capital Region of Denmark, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen East, Denmark.
⁸ Faculty of Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.

PMID: 26323998
DOI: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2015.05.025

Abstract

Background: Clinicians are increasingly using point-of-care ultrasonography for bedside examinations of patients. However, proper training is needed in this technique, and it is unknown whether the skills learned from focused Ultrasonography courses are being transferred to diagnostic performance on patients.

Methods: Thirty-one physicians were randomized to participate in a focused Ultrasonography course or control circumstances before they examined 4 patients with different abdominal conditions by ultrasonography. Performance scores and diagnostic accuracy were compared using independent samples t test and binary logistic regression, respectively.

Results: There was a significant difference in the performance score between the intervention group (27.4%) and the control group (18.0%, P = .004) and the diagnostic accuracy between the intervention group (65%) and the control group (39%, P = .014).

Conclusions: Clinicians could successfully transfer learning from an Ultrasonography course to improve diagnostic performance on patients. However, our results also indicate a need for more training when new technologies such as point-of-care ultrasonography are introduced.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02304133.

Keywords: Competency; Simulation; Skill transfer; Training; Ultrasonography.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Abdomen / diagnostic imaging
Clinical Competence / statistics & numerical data*
Denmark
Education, Medical, Continuing / methods*
Female
Humans
Logistic Models
Male
Point-of-Care Systems*
Ultrasonography / methods*

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT02304133