Survey of regional anesthesiology fellowship directors in the USA on the use of simulation in regional anesthesiology training

Background Despite a growing interest in simulated learning, little is known about its use within regional anesthesia training programs. In this study, we aimed to characterise the simulation modalities and limitations of simulation use for US-based resident and fellow training in regional anesthesiology. Methods An 18-question survey was distributed to regional anesthesiology fellowship program directors in the USA. The survey aimed to describe residency and fellowship program demographics, modalities of simulation used, use of simulation for assessment, and limitations to simulation use. Results Forty-two of 77 (54.5%) fellowship directors responded to the survey. Eighty per cent of respondents with residency training programs utilized simulation for regional anesthesiology education, while simulation was used for 66.7% of fellowship programs. The most common modalities of simulation were gel phantom models (residency: 80.0%, fellowship: 52.4%) and live model scanning (residency: 50.0%, fellowship: 42.9%). Only 12.5% of residency programs and 7.1% of fellowship programs utilized simulation for assessment of skills. The most common greatest limitation to simulation use was simulator availability (28.6%) and funding (21.4%). Conclusions Simulation use for education is common within regional anesthesiology training programs, but rarely used for assessment. Funding and simulator availability are the most common limitations to simulation use.