Procedural simulation： medical student preference and value of three task trainers for ultrasound guided regional anesthesia

摘要

BACKGROUND： Ultrasound guided regional anesthesia is widely taught using task trainermodels. Commercially available models are often used; however, they can be cost prohibitive. Therefore,alternative ＂homemade＂ models with similar fidelity are often used. We hypothesize that professionaltask trainers will be preferred over homemade models. The purpose of this study is to determine realism,durability and cleanliness of three different task trainers for ultrasound guided nerve blocks.METHODS： This was a prospective observational study using a convenience sample of medicalstudent participants in an ultrasound guided nerve block training session on January 24th, 2015.Participants were asked to perform simulated nerve blocks on three different task trainers including,1 commercial and 2 homemade. A questionnaire was then given to all participants to rate theirexperiences both with and without the knowledge on the cost of the simulator device.RESULTS： Data was collected from 25 participants. The Blue Phantom model was found to havethe highest fi delity. Initially, 10 （40%） of the participants preferred the Blue Phantom model, while 10（40%） preferred the homemade gelatin model and 5 （20%） preferred the homemade tofu model. Aftercost awareness, the majority, 18 （72%） preferred the gelatin model.CONCLUSION： The Blue Phantom model was thought to have the highest fidelity, but aftercost consideration the homemade gelatin model was preferred.