Evaluation of the efficacy of a self-training programme in focus cardiac ultrasound with simulator

Background: Focus cardiac ultrasound is a great tool for quick evaluation of cardiac function in acute settings with limited time and expertise in echocardiography. Adequate training is essential for physicians willing to use this imaging technique.

Aim: The goal of this study was to assess the efficacy of a self-training programme using a cardiac ultrasound simulator.

Methods: Thirty-five trainees in cardiology, emergency medicine or anaesthesiology entered the programme, which started with an e-learning lecture on focus cardiac ultrasound, with practice on a simulator, followed by implementation on patients, and ended with self-training in image analysis on an online platform. A post-test evaluation was carried out at the end of the theoretical training, followed by a final live evaluation on patients (timed acquisition of the five reference views used in focus cardiac ultrasound, grading each view on a scale of 1 to 5). Trainees were also evaluated online regarding their interpretation of 20 video clips.

Results: The median (interquartile range) interpretability scores following simulator training were 5 (4-5) for the parasternal long-axis view, 5 (4-5) for the apical four-chamber view, and 4 (4-5) for the subcostal window. Interpretability was significantly inferior in the live evaluation compared with the post-test evaluation, except for the parasternal long-axis and subcostal views. The mean score for the video clips (out of 20) was 14.5±2.4.

Conclusions: After a short self-training programme, trainees were able to acquire the main views of focus cardiac ultrasound with sufficient quality and in a short time period.