Accessible Personal Ultrasound Training Simulator.

Abstract

Ultrasound simulators are increasingly used for teaching and training purposes, but development has been limited by the need for dedicated and often expensive hardware. The objective of this study was to develop and deploy an accessible and very low-cost personal ultrasound training simulator and obtain trainee feedback. An ultrasound simulator software program that uses a smartphone as a "mock-probe" and a laptop computer as a "mock ultrasound machine" was created. Spatial positional data is acquired from the smartphone's inbuilt accelerometer and gyroscope and transmitted to the laptop computer for processing and display of simulated ultrasound images in real time by the software program. After obtaining institutional review board approval and informed consent, all first-year radiology residents at our institution were provided access to the simulator program during the "bootcamp" introductory conference series, and a written survey was conducted to obtain feedback. A personal ultrasound training simulator software program (Persimus) that reliably performs motion sensing along 2 axes and displays simulated ultrasound images was developed. Nine of 12 (75%) first-year residents at our institution participated in the written survey. Residents' scored values were 8.44 ± 1.33 and 8.44 ± 1.33 (mean + standard deviation) for perceived utility and overall impression and satisfaction, respectively, of the simulator on the Likert scale (1-10, with 10 being the highest score). Personal ultrasound simulators are technically feasible. These are well received by first-year radiology residents and perceived as useful to their education.