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ULTRASOUND ARTICLES
The Creation of an Objective Assessment Tool for Ultrasound-Guided Regional Anesthesia Using the Delphi Method
  1. Jeffrey J.H. Cheung, MSc*,†,
  2. Ewen W. Chen, MBBS*,
  3. Rosemin Darani, MD, FRCPC*,
  4. Colin J.L. McCartney, MBChB, FRCPC, FCARCSI*,
  5. Adam Dubrowski, PhD† and
  6. Imad T. Awad, MBChB, FCARCSI*
  1. From the *Department of Anesthesia, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the Holland Orthopedic and Arthritic Centre, and
  2. †Sick Kids Learning Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
  1. Address correspondence to: Imad T. Awad, MBChB, FCARCSI, Department of Anesthesia, M3-200, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, 2075 Bayview Ave, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4N 3M5 (e-mail: imad.awad{at}sunnybrook.ca).

Abstract

Background and Objectives The assessment of technical skills in ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia is currently subjective and relies largely on observations of the trainer. The objective of this study was to develop a checklist to assess training progress and to detect training gaps in ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia using the Delphi method.

Methods A 30-item checklist was developed and then e-mailed to 18 reviewers for feedback. The checklist was modified on the basis of their feedback. This process of iteration was repeated until no further feedback was received, and a consensus was reached on the final composition of the checklist. A global rating scale (GRS) was introduced as a result of the feedback.

Results Three rounds of feedback were required to reach consensus on the composition of the checklist and the GRS. The final checklist contains 22 items, and the GRS contains 9 categories.

Conclusions Using the Delphi method, a checklist and GRS were developed. These tools can serve as an objective means of assessing progress in ultrasound technical skills acquisition.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/AAP.0b013e318246f63c

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    Footnotes

    • The authors declare no conflict of interest.

    • Presented at the American Society of Anesthesiology annual scientific meeting, October 16 to 20, 2010, San Diego, California, and at the University of Toronto Anesthesia research day, May 7, 2010, Toronto, Canada.