Teaching Neuraxial Ultrasonography With a Virtual Reality Simulator of Spine

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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As one of the most extensively practiced regional block, neuraxial anesthesia is the basic skill for anesthesiologist to acquire. Recently, virtual reality (VR) has been proposed as a new simulation training method to enhance medical education. The aim of our study is to evaluate the practical skills of ultrasound scan and the satisfaction of students who undergo training using VR versus traditional didactic lecture.

Detailed Description
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This is a prospective, single-center, randomized control trial to evaluate the performance of spine ultrasound scan after different training methods. Participants were randomly divided into two groups receiving different training methods: VR spine simulator or traditional didactic teaching. After the training, participants were required to perform a preprocedural spine ultrasound scan on healthy volunteers using the stepwise technique taught in the didactic teaching session. The participants needed to acquire three key ultrasound views during the scan and recognize the anatomic structures in three ultrasound views.

Official Title
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Teaching Neuraxial Ultrasonography With a Virtual Reality Simulator of Spine: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Conditions
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Neuraxial Ultrasonography

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Teaching with VR spine simulator
* Other: Traditional didactic teaching


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: anesthesia residents in our department Exclusion Criteria: having previous experience of spine ultrasonography training having previous experience of spine ultrasound scan.
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: Other
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: VR group<br>In the VR group, the participants spent 30 minutes with the VR spine simulator after receiving the didactic teaching session. | Other: Teaching with VR spine simulator<br>* The participants spent 30 minutes with the VR spine simulator after receiving the didactic teaching session. The learning objective with the VR simulator is to review the 3D lumbar spine anatomic model，learn the sonoanatomy presented by a dynamic ultrasound scan of the sagittal and transverse plane, and practice a preprocedural ultrasound scan.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Control group<br>In the control group, the participants received a 30-min traditional didactic teaching session of spine ultrasonography. | Other: Traditional didactic teaching<br>* A 30-min traditional didactic teaching session of spine ultrasonography. This session was consisted of general spine anatomy, sonographic technique and sonoanatomy, description of five key spine ultrasonographic views (transverse spinous process view, transverse interlaminar view, parasagittal oblique interlaminar view, parasagittal articular process view, parasagittal transverse process view), and a stepwise technique of preprocedural lumbar spine scan<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Composite learning score | Evaluating the self-assessed theoretical knowledge (10 points), self-assessed practical skills (20 points), self-assessed satisfaction (10 points) and willingness to applicate the technique in future practice (10 points). | Up to 12 hours after ultrasound scan is finished | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Time of scan | Defined as the time from the probe contacting the skin to acquiring the three key ultrasound views | Up to 1 hour after ultrasound scan begins | 
| Rate of anatomic structures recognition | The correct rate of recognition among 12 anatomic structures (posterior complex, anterior complex, lamina and erector spinae in the parasagittal oblique interlaminar view, spinous process, lamina and erector spinae transverse spinous view, articular process, transverse process, posterior complex, anterior complex and spinal canal in the transverse interlaminar view) | Up to 12 hours after ultrasound scan is finished | 
| Accuracy of depth measurement to the posterior complex | The measurement was deemed correct if the error was less than 0.5cm | Up to 12 hours after ultrasound scan is finished | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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ultrasound-guided, neuraxial anesthesia, virtual reality