Article Text
Abstract
Background and aims We have improved the culture of ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia (UGRA) in our department by:
introducing dedicated ‘block room’ for hands–on supervised training in the newly redeveloped Chase Farm Hospital (London, UK), which also has modern conference rooms equipped with technology for teaching and training,
dedicating UGRA course as an official teaching platform,
motivating both faculty and candidates by organising course recognition by the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCOA) through approved CPD points, and
linking course certificates with post–course online surveys to ensure feedback and room for future improvement.
Methods Our one-day course consisted of nine morning lectures (20-mins each) and four afternoon workshops (40-mins each). It was attended by candidates of almost all grades of anaesthetic experience (figure 1) who are working in different NHS trusts across the UK (figure 2).
Results Our course evaluation included an online survey emailed to all candidates which showed positive feedback (figure 3).
Conclusions Creating a culture of UGRA involves multi-modalities teaching e.g. practice in block rooms and regular UGRA courses for ‘in house’ skills set. Feedback from junior trainees after our course highlighted their need for more ‘hands on’ workshops rather than theoretical lectures — potentially as UK training exposes foundation doctors to ultrasound practice in other specialties. Future plans include frequent UGRA courses, block room usage for workplace-based assessments (WBAs) for trainees as per RCOA syllabus, introducing cadaveric workshops, offering UGRA leaflets and videos to patients, and rolling out our experience to other specialties e.g. emergency medicine.