Education in the Time of COVID: At-a-Distance Training in Neuromusculoskeletal Ultrasonography.
Amy E Cook, Peter Inkpen
PMID 33723529WHAT IT FOUND
A single PM&R resident learned neuromusculoskeletal ultrasound using a portable device and remote guidance during COVID-19 restrictions.
The report describes the method and the resident's subjective confidence, but provides no objective data on skill acquisition or patient outcomes.
Key findings
01The rotation involved self-study and remote supervision using a Butterfly iQ ultrasound device and teleguidance software.
02No objective outcome measures were tracked; evaluation was based on achievement of learning objectives.
03The authors report that the resident gained confidence to use ultrasound on other rotations, though this is a subjective account.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
Single case report with no control group or comparison standard. No objective assessment of ultrasound skill acquisition or diagnostic accuracy. The device used (Butterfly iQ) and software (teleguidance) are specific commercial products, which may limit generalizability to other settings or devices. The resident practiced scanning on household members, which may not reflect clinical patient populations or complex pathologies. The authors acknowledge that remote guidance is less effective than hands-on teaching for probe positioning. Evaluation was based on subjective achievement of learning objectives rather than validated competency scales.
Declared interests
The paper describes the use of the Butterfly iQ and Butterfly Network teleguidance. The text does not explicitly state funding sources or author financial ties to Butterfly Network, Inc., but the detailed description of the device's features and the resolution of a technical issue with the company suggests a close operational relationship.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this report as evidence that remote ultrasound training produces competent clinicians. No objective measures of skill or diagnostic accuracy were collected, and the 'results' are solely the authors' subjective opinion that the resident felt more confident.