• Can J Anaesth · Oct 2021

    Randomized Controlled Trial

    The impact of a perceptual learning module on novices' ability to visually estimate left ventricular ejection fraction by transesophageal echocardiography: a randomized controlled study.

    • Philippe Champagne, François Girard, Véronique Cyr, Giovanni Romanelli, Monique Ruel, Alexandre Todorov, and Arnaud Robitaille.
    • Department of Anesthesiology, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, 1051 rue Sanguinet, Pavillon D, porte D04.5028, Montreal, QC, H2X 3E4, Canada.
    • Can J Anaesth. 2021 Oct 1; 68 (10): 1527-1535.

    PurposeEchocardiography is a difficult tool to master. Competency requires the supervised interpretation of hundreds of exams. Perceptual learning modules (PLMs) are novel learning tools that aim to speed up this learning process by enabling learners to go online and interpret numerous clinical images, followed systematically by expert feedback. We developed and tested a PLM aimed at improving novices' ability to quickly visually estimate left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) on transesophageal echocardiography images, a critical skill in acute care. We hypothesized that using the PLM would improve the accuracy and the speed of learners' estimations.MethodsLearners without echocardiography experience were randomly assigned to a group that used the 96-case PLM (n = 26) or a control group (n = 26) that did not. Both groups took a pre-test and an immediate post-test that measured the accuracy of their visual estimations during a first session. At six months, participants also completed a delayed post-test.ResultsIn the immediate post-test, the PLM group showed significantly better accuracy than the control group (median absolute estimation error 6.1 vs 9.0; difference 95% CI, 1.0 to 4.6; P < 0.001). Nevertheless, at six months, estimation errors were similar in both groups (median absolute estimation error 10.0 vs 10.0; difference 95% CI, -1.3 to 2.1; P = 0.27).ConclusionsParticipation in a short online PLM significantly improved novices' short-term ability to accurately estimate LVEF visually, compared with controls. The effect was not sustained at six months.Trial Registrationwww.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03245567); registered 7 August 2017.© 2021. Crown.

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