Introduction: The use of ultrasound imaging as a bedside diagnostic tool has become widely accepted in emergency departments across the globe. However, the adoption of clinical ultrasound is still fragmented, with this discrepancy being most notable in rural or developing healthcare facilities. This is a feasibility evaluation of a low cost tele-mentoring model to guide non-proficient operators through two-point compression US evaluating bilateral lower extremities for deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Methods: A convenience sample consisting of six first-year medical students was enrolled in the study. Using a two-way zoom video and audio call, the guiding physician (off-site) directed the participant through the DVT exams by providing instructions on patient positioning, probe placement, image optimization, and venous compression. The exams were evaluated by two ultrasound fellowship trained third-party emergency medicine physicians to validate if the archived images were diagnostic (Yes/No); to grade (1-5 score) the image quality using the reporting guidelines established by the American College of Emergency Physicians. Results: Six participants were enrolled in the study, with all participants reporting that the instructions from the guiding physician were easy to understand, with a mean score of 9.9/10. All participants felt their ultrasound examination had high diagnostic value, and their experience with the tele-mentoring session improved their ultrasound skills, with means of 9/10 and 9.7/10, respectively. External validating physician 1 scored 50% of the exams as diagnostic with a mean image quality rating of 3.5/5. External validating physician 2 scored 83% of the exams as diagnostic with a mean image quality rating of 3.6/5. Conclusion: The use of a tele-mentoring model facility diagnostic facilities has potential applications in ad-hoc scenarios such as refugee, wilderness, or warfare medicine. Data from this study provided valuable insight into the role of a tele mentoring model for clinical ultrasound in rural or field emergency facilities.
Nguyen et al. (Sun,) studied this question.