Ultrasound Simulation or Traditional Ultrasound Training for General Practitioners?
The goal of this study is to compare two different educational methods for training general practitioners (GPs) in point-of-care ultrasound. The main question it aims to answer is:
\- Does the use of ultrasound phantoms and simulators result in superior post-course ultrasound skills compared to traditional training methods involving healthy volunteers? Researchers will compare a group trained with traditional methods (scanning healthy volunteers) to a group trained using ultrasound phantoms and simulators to see if the different training methods result in different levels of ultrasound proficiency.
Participants will:
* Be 24 general practitioners randomized into two groups of 12.
* Receive training in five clinical ultrasound examinations: 1) Aortic abdominal aneurism, 2) gallstones, 3) pleural effusion, 4) hydronephrosis, and 5) free fluid in the abdomen (FAST scan).
* Begin with e-learning, followed by two in-person teaching seminars.
* Train at their clinics between course days: first on healthy volunteers, then on indicated patients.
* Upload scans to an online learning platform and receive feedback from instructors.
* Be assessed after 90 days using the validated Objective Structured Assessment of Ultrasound Skills (OSAUS) tool, with blinded evaluators.
