Obstetric ultrasound simulation

Abstract

Obstetric ultrasound is becoming an increasingly important part of the practice of maternal-fetal medicine. Thus, it is important to develop rigorous and effective training curricula for obstetrics and gynecology residents and maternal-fetal medicine fellows. Traditionally, this training has come almost entirely from exposure to ultrasound in the clinical setting. However, with the increased complexity of modern ultrasound and advent of duty-hour restrictions, a purely clinical training model is no longer viable. With the advent of high-fidelity obstetric ultrasound simulators, a significant amount of training can occur in a non-clinical setting which allows learners to obtain significant skill prior to their first patient ultrasound encounter and obtain proficiency in a shorter period of time. In this manuscript we discuss the available obstetric ultrasound simulators and ways to construct a comprehensive ultrasound training curricula to meet the increasing demands of modern maternal-fetal medicine.