UK Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation Programme and National Institutes of Health.

The four major categories of skill sets associated with proficiency in ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia are 1) understanding device operations, 2) image optimization, 3) image interpretation and 4) visualization of needle insertion and injection of the local anesthetic solution. Of these, visualization of needle insertion and injection of local anaesthetic solution can be practiced using simulators and phantoms. This survey of existing simulators summarizes advantages and disadvantages of each. Current deficits pertain to the validation process.

The objective of task-specific checklist and global rating scale are reliable and valid measures of axillary block performance between different levels of expertise.