Comparative evaluation of two simulation technologies for obstetric ultrasound trainees' assessment

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the performance of two different obstetric ultrasound simulators in assessing the practical skills of trainees compared to the standard method of practical assessment conducted on pregnant women volunteers.

Methods: We performed a prospective observational study. Two simulators were compared: the Simbionix simulator which uses a mannequin and heteroevaluation and the OPUS simulator which uses optical positioning technology with automatic assessment. All trainees who underwent the practical exam of the French national diploma in Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology in our center were recruited and assessed both on a volunteer pregnant woman and on simulator. We compared the results obtained by the trainees on the simulator with those obtained on pregnant women through correlation analysis of the scores and success rates.

Results: Overall, 207 trainees took the practical exam and were also evaluated on the simulator: 103 on the Simbionix and 104 on the OPUS. The success rates were the following: 84.1 % (174/207) for the practical exam on pregnant woman, 81.2 % (168/207) across both simulators, 79.6 % (82/103) on Simbionix and 82.7 % (86/104) on the OPUS. There was a good correlation between the success rate of the examination using a Simbionix simulator and with pregnant women (ρ = 0.69; p < 0.001), but no correlation was observed between the OPUS simulator and pregnant women (ρ = 0.11; p = 0.23).

Conclusion: These data indicate that the Simbionix simulator outperforms the OPUS in assessing trainees. It could serve as a tool for screening trainees during practical assessments.