Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Mar-Apr;69(2):177-183.
doi: 10.1016/j.bjan.2018.10.002. Epub 2019 Jan 18.

[Knowledge retention after focused cardiac ultrasound training: a prospective cohort pilot study]

[Article in Portuguese]
Glenio B Mizubuti  1 , Rene V Allard  1 , Anthony M-H Ho  1 , Louie Wang  1 , Theresa Beesley  2 , Wilma M Hopman  3 , Rylan Egan  4 , Devin Sydor  1 , Dale Engen  1 , Tarit Saha  1 , Robert C Tanzola  5
Affiliations

[Knowledge retention after focused cardiac ultrasound training: a prospective cohort pilot study]

[Article in Portuguese]
Glenio B Mizubuti et al. Braz J Anesthesiol. 2019 Mar-Apr.

Abstract

Background and objectives: Focused Cardiac Ultrasound (FoCUS) has proven instrumental in guiding anesthesiologists’ clinical decision-making process. Training residents to perform and interpret FoCUS is both feasible and effective. However, the degree of knowledge retention after FoCUS training remains a subject of debate. We sought to provide a description of our 4-week FoCUS curriculum, and to assess the knowledge retention among anesthesia residents at 6 months after FoCUS rotation.

Methods: A prospective analysis involving eleven senior anesthesia residents was carried out. At end of FoCUS Rotation (EOR) participants completed a questionnaire (evaluating the number of scans completed and residents’ self-rated knowledge and comfort level with FoCUS), and a multiple-choice FoCUS exam comprised of written- and video-based questions. Six months later, participants completed a follow-up questionnaire and a similar exam. Self-rated knowledge and exam scores were compared at EOR and after 6 months. Spearman correlations were conducted to test the relationship between number of scans completed and exam scores, perceived knowledge and exam scores, and number of scans and perceived knowledge.

Results: Mean exam scores (out of 50) were 44.1 at EOR and 43 at the 6-month follow-up. Residents had significantly higher perceived knowledge (out of 10) at EOR (8.0) than at the 6-month follow-up (5.5), p = 0.003. At the EOR, all trainees felt comfortable using FoCUS, and at 6 months 10/11 still felt comfortable. All the trainees had used FoCUS in their clinical practice after EOR, and the most cited reason for not using FoCUS more frequently was the lack of perceived clinical need. A strong and statistically significant (rho = 0.804, p = 0.005) correlation between number of scans completed during the FoCUS rotation and 6-month follow-up perceived knowledge was observed.

Conclusion: Four weeks of intensive FoCUS training results in adequate knowledge acquisition and 6-month knowledge retention.

Keywords: Anestesia; Anesthesia; Education; Educação; FoCUS; Knowledge retention; POCUS; Retenção de conhecimento; USCLA.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Outline of FoCUS rotation. CAE, “Focused Transthoracic Cardiac Echo” online course by CAE Healthcare; PLAX, Parasternal long axis view; PSAX, Parasternal short axis view; Apical 4/5C, Apical 4-chamber and 5-chamber views; SC/IVC, subcostal and inferior vena cava views.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Wilcoxon signed rank test p = 0.12 (Video), p = 0.72 (Written), p = 0.50 (Total).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Jasudavisius A., Arellano R., Martin J., et al. A systematic review of transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography in non-cardiac surgery: implications for point-of-care ultrasound education in the operating room. Can J Anesth. 2016;63:480–487. - PubMed
    1. Barbariol F., Vetrugno L., Pompei L., et al. Point-of-care ultrasound of the diaphragm in a liver transplant patient with acute respiratory failure. Crit Ultrasound J. 2015;7:3. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Leeson K., Leeson B. Pediatric ultrasound. Applications in the emergency department. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2013;31:809–829. - PubMed
    1. Ho A.M.H., Critchley L.A.H., Leung J.Y.C., et al. Introducing final-year medical students to pocket-sized ultrasound imaging: teaching transthoracic echocardiography on a 2-week anesthesia rotation. Teach Learn Med. 2015;27:307–313. - PubMed
    1. Nelson B.P., Hojsak J., Dei Rossi E., et al. Seeing is believing: evaluating a point-of-care ultrasound curriculum for 1st-year medical students. Teach Learn Med. 2016;1334:1–8. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources