Evaluation of the Acquisition of Ultrasound Proficiency in Hand Surgery Fellows.

To evaluate hand surgery fellow ultrasound (US) evaluations and performance of clinically relevant tasks after brief instruction. Six hand surgery fellows completed an US assessment and a survey on US use before and 1 month after a 30-minute US course. The time to obtain an adequate image decreased from 4 minutes 42 seconds (4:42; range, 3:57-7:55) to 0:52 (range, 0:30-1:14; P < .001). Participants' performance for structure identification improved from 9.7 (range, 8-13) to 12 (range, 10-13) of 14 structures (P < .05). The average time to completion decreased from 14:6 (range, 12:08-18:30) to 9:34 (range, 4:40-15:54; P < .01). After instruction, all 6 participants identified and measured the cross-sectional area of the median nerve, identified and measured a zone 3 flexor tendon gap, and identified a simulated flexor digitorum profundus avulsion and its level of retraction (P < .05). Five of 6 successfully administered an US-guided injection to the extensor carpi ulnaris subsheath. After a 30-minute instructional session, hand surgery fellows can achieve a basic level of US competency.

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© 2019 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.