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Vascular access cannulation of difficult venous conditions requires experience, manual dexterity, and continuous observation of the progress of the needle tip position while the cannula is advanced through human tissue into the intravascular space18. While the use of ultrasound has become more prevalent in the use in patients with difficult venous access2, it is also necessary that junior clinicians and novices become familiar with the use of ultrasound in connection with its use in the space of vascular access and receive adequate training17,19,20. It has not been reported anywhere in detail what specific essential elements are to be taught, understood, and practiced in the context of training for using POCUS and USGPIVC. To enable adequate training, the high-fidelity simulation models suggested by12 were used, and it was possible to demonstrate that the level of confidence in workshop participants using ultrasound in connection with vascular access cannulations increased after attending a workshop in a previous publication8. It can, therefore, be assumed that a similar approach, with the use of ultrasound in simulation models performing those training and education sessions, could be successful elsewhere when a similar approach is being used.
Several clinical guidelines have been created for the use of ultrasound in connection with vascular access proceedings21,22. At the same time, it has been reported that over the past few years, the number of available ultrasound devices in clinical areas has increased. Junior doctors require adequate practical education in using this technology, and face-to-face teaching using simulation models may be the most suitable approach to transferring expert knowledge to novices23. A series of multiple half-day workshops, with a duration of 4 hours each, performed at the local institution has already demonstrated that beginners can successfully apply this technique in their clinical area after sufficient training on the simulation models and under the guidance of an experienced facilitator8. This approach demonstrates that the step-by-step approach applied by the workshop facilitator guiding the participants through every single observational step during the POCUS-guided cannulation may be the key element to a successful cannulation outcome once this method is used in patients. As difficult vascular access conditions (DIVA) in highly complex patients have been previously described as generally increasing in multiple studies24,25,26,27,28, the use of POCUS and USGPIVC may offer a suitable solution to address the problem of failed cannulation during the first attempt in various clinical settings.
This step-by-step approach was first theoretically explained and discussed during the workshop, then practically demonstrated to participants before they practiced the same approach individually on the simulation models provided. Those education sessions were performed in small groups of a maximum of 15 participants, and each participant was provided with their own individual simulation model and a POCUS device to practice this procedure multiple times. Each simulation model had at least three simulated vessels inserted, which were neither palpable nor visible from the outside. This feature allowed for multiple cannulation attempts for each individual workshop participant in case a first cannulation attempt led to a leaking vessel in the simulation model, as only the repeated practice of using USGPIVC will lead to increased confidence in users of this technique. At the conclusion of the workshop, participants were assessed on their ability to identify a vessel in the simulation model, measure vessel depth, caliper, and direction, and were also assessed if they were able to cannulate the vessel in a transverse (out of plane) view. Almost all participants were able to demonstrate this ability at the conclusion of all the workshops and claimed that this exercise was useful for them.
While this workshop initially aimed at a broad and general audience of clinicians coming from various clinical areas and aiming at delivering a basic understanding of the principles of the use of ultrasound in the space of establishing vascular access, it may be necessary in the future to create a more specific approach of teaching for particular clinical areas. It has been previously recommended to include USGPIVC training in medical undergraduate curricula3, it may now also be essential to consider the different requirements of skills to be taught practically for clinicians working in various clinical settings and which need a different specialist skill set for the use of ultrasound in connection with the insertion of cannulas. It is obvious that a clinician caring for patients with chronic kidney disease will most likely use large bore cannulas in blood vessels with a larger diameter, compared to an anesthetist29 or a nurse30 who works in the pediatric setting. These different aspects of training requirements need to be considered when designing curricula, and they will also need to be considered when designing simulation models for training, as smaller vessels need to be more sophisticated, being simulated as realistic as possible and when compared to the clinical reality. Tailored and specific curricula aiming at establishing sound USGPIVC skills in clinicians in various settings need to be developed and designed to achieve the best possible outcomes in learners and ultimately result in improving clinical outcomes. This may ultimately lead to establishing the use of ultrasound in the space of best clinical practice for vascular access cannulation.
The reported approach from workshop participants that in some clinical areas where ultrasound is available but is only used prior to cannulations for visualization but not for the cannulations per se may be a useful suggestion for curriculum development. If this approach is being used in future workshops as an initial educational initiative for workplaces to increase the use and uptake of ultrasound when considering vascular access in clinical settings, it might pave the way for more general acceptance of this technique, USGPIVC, as best practice in the long term. This may also be included and influence the future versions of Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice27. Further, Simulation-Based Mastery Learning (SBML) and including USGPIVC in these concepts may help share and distribute the knowledge of this approach31,32. Despite some educational programs that have been developed and are applied today33, there exists no clear description of which particular elements are critical to be learned to be successful with USGPIVC. Is this related to critical information for the operator on the depth and size of a blood vessel? Is it information on the direction of a blood vessel? Is it about the manual dexterity of the operator in performing this task repeatedly and skillfully? Is it the combination of visual observation and manual dexterity that leads to the ultimate success of USGPIVC? It is obvious, that these elements require further research and clear identification and description in guiding future successful educational approaches in this space and to establish common principles for targeted curricula in this space, which should be common standard practice globally. It is also essential that clinicians adopt and understand that first-attempt cannulations are considered the best clinical practice through the use of simulation-based learning34. This has also been previously confirmed in a systematic review14.
This study also had some limitations. First, each of the simulation models had a distinct number of three fluid-filled modeling balloons per simulation model. It was expected that after the first cannulation attempt, each balloon (vessel) would leak and deflate and may not be able to be reused. Therefore, we placed three vessels into each simulator to allow for multiple attempts in various vessels, providing a repeated and similar experience for the individual and refining the operators' skills.
Secondly, the smallest achievable vessel size with the fluid-filled modeling balloons (size 260Q) was 0.6 cm, which may certainly not be reflective of what clinicians may encounter in real-life clinical scenarios and settings, especially in pediatric settings, but this was the minimum vessel size which was achievable under the given circumstances in the workshop settings and materials being available. The main teaching goal of the workshop was to transfer theoretical and practical knowledge and a basic understanding of vascular access cannulation using ultrasound, observing the needle tip at all times during the cannulation process to avoid unintended vessel injury, extravasation, or tissue damage.
The study findings may be limited to learners and clinicians in the geographical setting of Western Australia (WA), as other global areas may have different educational approaches or guidelines to achieve similar outcomes. Further, the study results may be partially skewed, as participants were keen learners and deliberately chose (voluntarily self-enrolling) to participate in the workshop, which may have contributed to a positive learning outcome. Future research studies are needed to evaluate if workshops with a longer duration (one or several full days) provide better learning outcomes. It may also be of particular interest to investigate which elements of teaching in USGPIVC workshops are critical to achieving the desired learning outcomes. Further, more research is required to reveal the attitude of senior clinicians towards adopting novel vascular access approaches such as through USGIPVC, as in this study, only junior clinicians participated (self-enrolled), and no senior clinicians were self-enrolling. Did this occur because senior clinicians already have skills in USGC? Or do senior clinicians not need this task in their daily practice? Is the landmark-cannulation approach more common in senior clinicians, and are they always successful with this approach due to their long-term clinical experience? In addition, it may be relevant to understand and learn more about clinicians' critical views and considerations on how they may determine and choose the most adequate and appropriate PIVC cannula for an individual patient after observing an individual's vascular conditions using POCUS, in conjunction with the required or planned therapeutic interventions such as required intravenous medication or smaller or larger amounts of intravenous fluids (larger sized cannulas for higher volumes of fluids).
A simulative teaching approach combining cannulation practice with point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) instruction enhanced participants' skill levels over the duration of the workshop and retained improvements afterward, as demonstrated by this study. Some participants were able to apply this skill subsequently in their clinical setting. This educational activity could potentially promote the adoption of this novel approach by clinicians when patients present with difficult intravenous access (DIVA) conditions, as some workshop participants may be inclined to share their positive experiences with colleagues. The significant representation of junior doctors, comprising half of all participants, underscores the evident necessity for advanced training in scenarios where frontline healthcare workers encounter DIVA conditions while providing patient care. Furthermore, the creation and integration of evidence-based clinical guidelines specific to the use of POCUS for vascular access would be highly beneficial. By combining competency pathways and clinical guidelines, healthcare institutions can foster a culture of excellence, patient safety, and improved outcomes when employing POCUS for vascular access procedures.