Teaching Neuraxial Ultrasonography With a Virtual Reality Simulator of Spine

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

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.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Neuraxial Ultrasonography
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Teaching with VR spine simulator; Other: Traditional didactic teaching

Detailed Description

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.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 46
• Phase: Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• anesthesia residents in our department

Exclusion Criteria:

• having previous experience of spine ultrasonography training
• having previous experience of spine ultrasound scan.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: VR group; 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; 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.
Active Comparator: Control group; In the control group, the participants received a 30-min traditional didactic teaching session of spine ultrasonography.	Other: Traditional didactic teaching; 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

What is the study measuring?

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

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Peking Union Medical College Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): June 15, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2023
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 5, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 24, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): May 25, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 25, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 24, 2023
• Last Verified: May 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: virtual reality; ultrasound-guided; neuraxial anesthesia
• Other Study ID Numbers: VR teaching

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No