Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) training for first-year resident physicians at a university hospital in Japan: A longitudinal, observational study. (September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ota, Koshi; Oba, Koji; Ito, Yuri; Cheng, Jacky; Ota, Kanna; Takasu, Akira
• Is Part Of: SAGE open medicine. Volume 9(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-09
• Subjects: Emergency medicine -- Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) -- postgraduate year 1 -- ultrasound; Medicine -- Periodicals; 610.5
• DOI: 10.1177/20503121211044367
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2050-3121

Abstract

Background: Ultrasound training is an essential part of residency programs during emergency medicine rotations for first-year trainees (postgraduate year 1). The Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma examination used to assess for internal bleeding in trauma patients is one of the essential skills postgraduate year 1 residents must acquire during the emergency medicine rotation. Method: A prospective, longitudinal, observational study of postgraduate year 1 residents during a 2-month long emergency medicine rotation conducted from 1 April 2019 to 31 May 2021. The primary outcome was the mean difference between the hands-on Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma examination scores of the first week of the emergency medicine rotation and the same hands-on Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma examination scores of the last week of the emergency medicine rotation. All postgraduate year 1 residents had open access to the ultrasound machine to practice examining on other postgraduate year 1 residents or could use it on real patients under supervision of emergency medicine physicians. Result: A total of 91 postgraduate year 1 residents (65 male and 26 female) were recruited and submitted to the hands-on Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma test in both the first and last weeks of the rotation. The mean test score for the postgraduate year 1 residents in the first week was 7.81 (standard deviation = 2.11). The mean test score in the last week was 16.17 (standard deviation = 2.60). The primary outcome of this study was the score difference between the first and last weeks (mean = 8.35, 95% confidence interval = 7.73 to 8.94, p < 0.001, paired t -test). Conclusion: Hands-on practical Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma training for postgraduate year 1 residents during emergency medicine rotations significantly improved their Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma test scores.