The importance of multimodality pelvic ultrasound simulation in teaching of obstetrics and gynecology residents

Abstract

Objective: The use of transabdominal and transvaginal ultrasound is the test of choice in many Obstetrics and Gynecology practices. The objective of our study is to demonstrate how simulated ultrasound teaching could improve residents' knowledge between PGY1 and PGY2 years in the area of (1) the ability to perform an accurate transabdominal and transvaginal ultrasound in a sensitive manner, (2) to identify and describe normal and abnormal female pelvic sonographic findings for interpretation and (3) to demonstrate clinical sonographic correlation of the most common clinical presentations on pelvic ultrasound. Materials and methods: A total of 24 residents participated in this course during their usual scheduled training period from July 2011 to July 2013. Twelve of the 24 residents had previously taken the course 1 year prior and were used to compare changes in their level of understanding of the subject matter. An introductory lecture with a precourse knowledge assessment was initially provided to the residents prior to simulation training. The residents were then randomized into four groups of 2 to 3 residents and provided 45 minutes of training at each simulation station. Results: Overall, the mean score for all three stations was noted to be 81.1 and 88.9%, respectively, between PGY1 and PGY2 residents during the 3 years. Conclusion: The results of both high fidelity and low fidelity simulations have improved when comparing the increase in scores between the PGY1 and the same learners as PGY2s in the following year. We have shown that of the 12 residents who were able to repeat the course during concurrent years, there was an increase in the post evaluation scores each year.