Descriptive analysis of a bilingual and cross-cultural introductory ultrasound course facilitated by simultaneous translation

Abstract

Study objective The increasing use of focused ultrasonography by non-specialists emphasizes the need for standardized trainings. We analyze physicians' skill acquisition after the implementation of an ultrasound introductory course. As part of an international educational collaboration, we also investigate the impact on training efficiency of language and cultural differences. Methods We organized a 2-day training for emergency physicians. Lectures were given in French with simultaneous Chinese translation. At the end of the training, physicians were asked to conduct, on healthy live models, a complete ultrasound examination including 11 images and two procedures (cardiac, abdominal, vascular and bone ultrasonography). Quality was assessed by two independent observers and a 60-s time limit per view/procedure was set. Ultrasound examination was successful only if both quality and length objectives were achieved. Results: Seventeen attending emergency physicians participated in the study. None withdrew from the training. The overall success rate of image and procedure acquisition was 97.3% (364 out of 374). Six physicians had failed cases and mainly on cardiac examination (eight failures out of ten). Failure rate for the complete sequence (1 or more failure out of the 11 images/procedure) was 24% (8/34). Median time to capture a single image was 13 s (5-24), while the whole examination took 182 s (141-238) excluding time for probe change. Conclusion A 2-day introductory course on focused ultrasonography leads to very good skill acquisition. Language and cultural differences do not seem to alter training efficiency. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.