BRONCHOSCOPY TRAINING USING ALFIE (AIRWAY LOW FIDELITY INCLUDING ENDOBRONCHIAL ULTRASOUND BIO-SIMULATOR) AND SINGLE USE FLEXIBLE BRONCHOSCOPY

Abstract

TOPIC: Education, Research, and Quality Improvement TYPE: Original Investigations PURPOSE: The covid-19 pandemic has resulted in us having to re-consider our traditional teaching modalities and develop newer, dynamic methods of furthering medics' education. Both high and low fidelity simulators in bronchoscopy including endobronchial guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) are costly.We therefore investigated a combination of a low-cost bio-simulator made of recyclable materials found in any house or hardware store (ALFIE: Airway Low Fidelity including EBUS) and single use flexible bronchoscopy (SUFB) have the capability of differentiating novices from experts and the ability to train novices in bronchoscopy? METHODS: Residents and fellows were invited to training on ALFIE simulator using a commercially available SUFB. Trainees were evaluated individually before and after training using a modified validated Bronchoscopy Skills and Tasks Assessment Tool (B-STAT) including the scope handling, endobronchial biopsy and brushing. RESULTS: 18 trainees were included (14 residents and 4 fellows). Pre-training assessment of scope handling differentiated novices from experienced bronchoscopists ((p=0.0025 (95% confidence intervals (CI) 3.12-12.17). Training of novices was associated with an improvement in scope handling and sampling (p=0.0001 (95% CI 4.73-10.27)). CONCLUSIONS: ALFIETM-SUFB combination differentiated novices from those with more experience and training on ALFIETM-SUFB was associated with a significant improvement in performance on a modified BSTAT assessment. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: ALFIE and SUFB combination has the potential to create a low-cost platform for remote training in bronchoscopy. Even beyond the COVID-19 pandemic with a combination of virtual teaching software, this potentially provides a convenient training platform to train junior doctors' remotely. DISCLOSURES: No relevant relationships by Kevin Deasy, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Marcus Kennedy, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by barry O'Reilly, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Ray O'Sullivan, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Anne-Marie Sweeney, source=Web Response