Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Medical Education
Date Submitted: Jun 26, 2024
Date Accepted: Mar 19, 2025
Enhancing Access to Neuraxial Ultrasound Phantoms for Medical Education of Pediatric Anesthesia Trainees: Tutorial
ABSTRACT
Background:
Opportunities to learn ultrasound-guided/-assisted (USGA) neuraxial techniques in pediatric patients are limited, given the inherit high stakes and small margin of error in this population. Simulation is especially valuable, because it enhances competency and efficiency when learning new skills in pediatrics, specifically ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia. However, access to phantom models in medical education is limited due to excessive costs.
Objective:
The objective of our study was to create an affordable, reproducible, and indefinitely shelf stable spine phantom that, when scanned with ultrasound, produces images suitable for demonstrating views necessary to learn ultrasound guided/assisted neuraxial procedures.
Methods:
We describe a step-by-step process for production of an ultrasound spine phantom that meets the above criteria.
Results:
Using our method, the resulting phantoms can successfully be used to generate ultrasound images that are comparable to those obtained from patients. These images demonstrate a number of views critical to learning ultrasound guided/assisted neuraxial procedures.
Conclusions:
As a cost-effective alternative, our ballistics gel based phantoms can expand access to realistic simulation for neuraxial ultrasound in pediatric medical education, thus reducing some of the barriers faced by pediatric trainees. Clinical Trial: NA
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Copyright
© The authors. All rights reserved. This is a privileged document currently under peer-review/community review (or an accepted/rejected manuscript). Authors have provided JMIR Publications with an exclusive license to publish this preprint on it's website for review and ahead-of-print citation purposes only. While the final peer-reviewed paper may be licensed under a cc-by license on publication, at this stage authors and publisher expressively prohibit redistribution of this draft paper other than for review purposes.