Can Simulation Help to Answer the Demand for Echocardiography Education?

Abstract

There has been a recent explosion of education and training in echocardiography in the specialties of anesthesiology and critical care. These devices, by their impact on clinical management, are changing the way surgery is performed and critical care is delivered. A number of international bodies have made recommendations for training and developed examinations and accreditations.The challenge to medical educators in this area is to deliver the training needed to achieve competence into already over-stretched curricula.The authors found an apparent increase in the use of simulators, with proven efficacy in improving technical skills and knowledge. There is still an absence of evidence on how it should be included in training programs and in the accreditation of certain levels.There is a conviction that this form of simulation can enhance and accelerate the understanding and practice of echocardiography by the anesthesiologist and intensivists, particularly at the beginning of the learning curve.

Simulation‐based teaching versus point‐of‐care teaching for identification of basic transoesophageal echocardiography views: a prospective randomised study

“…Simulation-based learning in TOE is gaining in popularity, with expert opinion reinforcing the results of studies showing benefit when compared with more traditional methods of TOE teaching [8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. The primary objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of simulationbased and point-of-care TOE training to enable echocardiography-na€ ıve trainees to identify the cardiac anatomy associated with the 20 standard TOE imaging planes.…”

A review of echocardiography in anaesthetic and peri‐operative practice. Part 2: training and accreditation

“…Simulation training can provide an insight into the 3D anatomy of the heart which is not readily apparent with conventional training . There is evidence that this can augment bedside echocardiography training, both in TTE and TOE, and accelerate the rate of acquisition of knowledge – vitally important for time‐limited anaesthesia training programmes . This effect seems more pronounced earlier in the learning curve, possibly by helping to construct a framework for the novice's 3D appreciation of the heart's position within the thorax and the interface with the plane of the ultrasound transducer.…”

Ultrasound simulators in obstetrics and gynecology: state of the art

“…Its use encompasses screening as well as expert examination of normal and abnormal cases. It has become an essential part of practice in obstetrics, including maternal–fetal medicine, as well as in gynecology, often irrespective of the ability, competence and experience of the operators; the lack of standardization in training and assessment of skill has become a matter of concern worldwide.…”