Remote,Synchronous,Hands-On Ultrasound Education

Abstract

Background: Ultrasound has become a major diagnostic tool in many parts of the world, with broad clinical applications. Ultrasound provides a noninvasive, painless mode of diagnostics that produces instant results. Disseminating ultrasound skills to remote and rural communities has become a challenge for many medical schools, particularly those where distances are great and the density of population is low. Materials and Methods: The University of California, Irvine School of Medicine and the University of New England School of Rural Medicine in Australia piloted the use of dual video feeds in two scenarios: (1) to display the instructor's ultrasound feed and the instructor's transducer placement to provide guidance for remote students; and (2) to display side-by-side views of the instructor's and the remote student's ultrasound feeds to allow the instructor to guide the remote student in his or her transducer placement. Results and Conclusions: Using high-speed broadband connections, the two schools demonstrated the feasibility of remote, synchronous, practical, and hands-on ultrasound training and instruction over international distances. This opens up a broad range of possibilities for future remote ultrasound education.