Studies in health technology and informatics
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2011
Anesthesia residents' preference for learning interscalene brachial plexus block (ISBPB): traditional Winnie's technique vs. ultrasound-guided technique.
There is a recent shift from traditional nerve stimulation (NS) to ultrasound-guided (UG) techniques in regional anesthesia (RA). This shift prompted educators to readdress the best way to teach these two modalities. Development of a more structured curriculum requires an understanding of student preferences and perceptions. ⋯ The residents completed a questionnaire regarding their impression of each technique and the learning experience. UG technique was perceived to be safer and to have more educational value than NS. However, residents felt both techniques should be mandatory in the teaching curriculum.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2011
Field use of the STORZ C-MAC video laryngoscope in intubation training with the Nebraska National Air Guard.
Previous studies have shown that the videolaryngoscope is an excellent intubation training tool as it allows the student and trainer to share the same anatomical view of the airway. Use of this training tool is limited; however, as many times intubation training must take place outside the hospital environment (as in the training of military health care providers). ⋯ This study examined the use of the Storz CMAC, a compact video laryngoscope system, for intubation training in a simulated field hospital setting with the Nebraska National Air Guard. The study showed that the C-MAC was well-received by the trainees and would be useful in a deployment or hospital setting.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2011
The tool positioning tutor: a target-pose tracking and display system for learning correct placement of a medical device.
Safe and successful performance of medical procedures often requires the correct manual positioning of a tool. For example, during endotracheal intubation a laryngoscope is used to open a passage in the airway through which a breathing tube is inserted. During training it can be challenging for an experienced practitioner to effectively communicate to a novice the correct placement and orientation of a tool. ⋯ The system displays to the learner the fixed, target pose and a real-time display of the current, "live" laryngoscope position. Positional error metrics are displayed as color-coded visual cues to guide the user toward successful targeting of the reference position. This technique provides quantitative assessment of the degree to which a learner has matched a specified "expert" position with a tool, and is potentially applicable to a wide variety of tools and procedures.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2011
Randomized Controlled TrialControl over the virtual environment influences the presence and efficacy of a virtual reality intervention on pain.
The main aim of this study is to investigate whether the control the user has over a virtual environment (VE) influences the sense of presence. A secondary purpose is to explore the relationship between Virtual Reality (VR) presence and pain tolerance during a cold-pressor experience. Ninety-four participants underwent two consecutive cold-pressor trials, one without VR exposure and the other providing a VR stereoscopic figure used as a symbolic representation of the sensation of pain. ⋯ Participants had a higher pain tolerance during both VR conditions than in the no-VR trial, with a greater increase in pain tolerance from the non-VR trial in the interactive condition. Presence scores correlated significantly and positively with pain tolerance scores. We discuss the importance of VR interaction and control over the VR environments used in VR pain interventions designed to increase cognitive control over pain.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2011
Multicenter StudyBattlefield tracheal intubation training using virtual simulation: a multi center operational assessment of video laryngoscope technology.
Airway management is an essential skill in providing care in trauma situations. The video laryngoscope is a tool which offers improvement in teaching airway management skills and in managing airways of trauma patients on the far forward battlefield. An Operational Assessment (OA) of videolaryngoscope technology for medical training and airway management was conducted by the Center for Advanced Technology and Telemedicine (at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE) for the US Air Force Modernization Command to validate this technology in the provision of Out of OR airway management and airway management training in military simulation centers. The value for both the training and performance of intubations was highly rated and the majority of respondents indicated interest in having a video laryngoscope in their facility.