Telementoring for Identifying the Appendix Using Telesonography

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The investigators investigated the feasibility of the clinical application of novice-practitioner-performed/offsite-mentor-guided ultrasonography for identifying the appendix.

Detailed Description
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A randomized cross-over study was conducted using a telesonography system that can transmit the ultrasound images displayed on the ultrasound monitor(ultrasound sequence video) and images showing the practitioner's operations(background video) to a smartphone without any interruption in motion over a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. Thirty novice practitioners were randomly assigned to two groups. The subjects in group A (n=15) performed ultrasonography for the identification of the appendix under mentoring by an onsite expert, whereas those in group B (n=15) performed the same procedure under mentoring by an offsite expert. Each subject performed the procedure on three simulated patients. After a four-week interval, they performed the procedure again under the other type of mentoring. A total of 90 ultrasound examinations were performed in each scenario. The primary outcomes were the success rate for identifying the appendix and the time required to identify the appendix.

Official Title
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A Feasibility Study of Telementoring for Identifying the Appendix Using Smartphone-based Telesonography

Conditions
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Appendix, Ultrasonography

Intervention / Treatment
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* Device: Smartphone-based Telesonography


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Without any experience in ultrasonography Exclusion Criteria: Subjects who do not want to participate Subjects who has eye pain or any eye problem Subjects who has wrist pain

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 25 Years
Maximum Age: 35 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Crossover Assignment
Masking: Double


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| No Intervention: On-site sonography<br>The subjects(n=15) performed ultrasonography for the identification of the appendix under mentoring by an onsite expert. | |
| Active Comparator: Smartphone-based Telesonography<br>The subjects(n=15) performed ultrasonography for the identification of the appendix under mentoring by an offsite expert. | Device: Smartphone-based Telesonography<br>* The 30 participating examiners were randomly divided into two groups. In phase one, group A performed ultrasonography under onsite mentoring and group B performed the same procedure under remote mentoring. Each examiner was randomly assigned one expert and three SPs for phase one. Four weeks later, they were partnered with the same expert and SPs to whom they had been assigned in phase one and performed the procedure under the other type of mentoring (phase two). The examination order of the SPs was randomly assigned by choosing a number between one and six (1: A-B-C, 2: A-C-B, 3: B-A-C, 4: B-C-A, 5: C-A-B, 6: C-B-A) in each phase.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Success rate | Success is meaning of identifying appendix in 10 minutes. | 8 months | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Time to identifying appendix |  | 8 months | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Telesonography, Appendix