New ultrasound simulation system: a method for training and improved quality management in ultrasound examination

Purpose: Although ultrasound examination became almost indispensable in prenatal diagnosis as well as in gynecological examination, there are still a lot of deficits in the quality management of medical education. We present a "ultrasound simulation system", that makes it possible to simulate a complete ultrasound examination. The system is able to simulate all imaginable kinds of ultrasound examination. Material and Methods: At the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the "Medizinische Hochschule Hannover" 115 banks of normal and 29 banks of pathologic volumes were scanned and stored into our newly developed "ultrasound simulation system". 7 physicians had to examine lo "virtual" cases each; we evaluated the incidence of positive and negative results. Furthermore, the physicians had to evaluate the quality of visualization with a score. Results: 12 of 14 malformations were identified as "fetal anomalies", whereas 2 fetal anomalies could not be identified correctly. All 56 healthy fetuses could be identified to be normal. The quality of visualization was regarded to be good in 62 cases, sufficient in 6 cases and poor in 2 cases. Conclusion: The "ultrasound simulation system" enables users to test and improve their levels of skill to detect pathologic findings in gynecological and obstetrical examinations. At the same time the system gives the instructor the possibility to test the quality of medical examinations. The integration of ultrasound training with an ultrasound simulation system into medical education should be discussed to improve the general level of skill in gynecological ultrasound.