About this trial
The goal of this study is to compare two different educational methods for training general practitioners (GPs) in point-of-care ultrasound. The main question it aims to answer is:
\- Does the use of ultrasound phantoms and simulators result in superior post-course ultrasound skills compared to traditional training methods involving healthy volunteers? Researchers will compare a group trained with traditional methods (scanning healthy volunteers) to a group trained using ultrasound phantoms and simulators to see if the different training methods result in different levels of ultrasound proficiency.
Participants will:
* Be 24 general practitioners randomized into two groups of 12. * Receive training in five clinical ultrasound examinations: 1) Aortic abdominal aneurism, 2) gallstones, 3) pleural effusion, 4) hydronephrosis, and 5) free fluid in the abdomen (FAST scan). * Begin with e-learning, followed by two in-person teaching seminars. * Train at their clinics between course days: first on healthy volunteers, then on indicated patients. * Upload scans to an online learning platform and receive feedback from instructors. * Be assessed after 90 days using the validated Objective Structured Assessment of Ultrasound Skills (OSAUS) tool, with blinded evaluators.
Eligibility criteria
Qualifiers
The participant must be a postgraduate medical doctor specialized in general medicine/family medicine (general practitioner).
The participant must have access to an ultrasound device during the study period.
Disqualifiers
General practitioners who have already participated in a basic point-of-care ultrasound education for general practitioners.
General practitioners with potential conflicts of interest.
Individuals with no signed informed consent to participate.
Trial design
Treatments tested in this trial
- Simulation based clinical ultrasound education
- Traditional ultrasound education
Treatment groups
Sponsors and collaborators
Aalborg University
Lead sponsor
Nordsim
Collaborator