NCT04204369

A Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Course for Orthopedic Surgery Residents

Usefulness of a Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Course in an Orthopedic Surgery Residency Training Program

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 10 (actual)
• Sponsor: Université de Sherbrooke · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: —
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

A group of orthopedic surgery residents underwent a structured online and practical musculoskeletal ultrasound course. Their proficiency on a written and practical exam, as well as frequency and comfort when using was recorded prior to the course, immediately after, and 6 months after the course.

Detailed description

Musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSK-US) can have many uses for orthopedic surgeons, such as assisting in clinical diagnosis for muscle, tendon and ligament injuries, providing direct guidance for joint injections, or assessing the adequacy of a reduction in the emergency department. However, proficiency in sonography is not a requirement for certification in orthopedic surgery in Canada, and orthopedic trainees are rarely exposed to the subject. This project aims assess the usefulness in clinical education of a newly implemented MSK-US course in an orthopedic surgery program. An MSK-US course for orthopedic surgery residents has been developed. An online survey covering the level of training of the resident, their prior experience with ultrasound (number of times used by month) and their comfort level with different parts of the examination (numeric analog scale - NAS), was filled by the participants prior to the course. A pre-course written and practical test was also given to the residents. Following the course, the participants were reassessed with the same tests and surveys on the same day as the course, and at 6 months post. Change in frequency of use, comfort level and test scores were assessed using a Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA and post-hoc Wilcoxon tests. It was expected that residents' frequency of use, comfort level and tests scores would improve following the implementation of the course. The results were expected to be maintained at the 6 months endpoint.

Conditions

• Tendon Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Ultrasound education curriculum	Participants were enrolled in a musculoskeletal ultrasound course including 2 components: * An online course (1-2 hours) to be done before the practical session. The videos were made available one (1) month prior to the practical course. This component reviewed the basics of ultrasonography, as well as the normal and abnormal appearance of relevant musculoskeletal structures (bone, tendon, ligaments, muscles, bursas, and nerves), and the ultrasound anatomy of high yield regions of the musculoskeletal system (shoulder, elbow, knee, ankle) * A practical session (4-6 hours) done during one of the usual academic days of the orthopedic residency program. This session covered the use of the ultrasound; the examination of the shoulder, elbow, knee, and ankle; ultrasound-guided musculoskeletal injections and aspirations; and ultrasound-guided distal radius fracture reductions. Ample practice time was given to the residents using means such as phantom models, cadavers, and real patients.

Timeline

• Start date: 2017-11-06
• Primary completion: 2018-07-06
• Completion: 2018-07-06
• First posted: 2019-12-19
• Last updated: 2019-12-19

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Canada