Evaluation of a commercial phantom and pork meat model for simulation based training of ultrasound guided intravenous catheterisation

Introduction: Establishing intravenous access is a common procedure being performed in the emergency department. Ultrasound guidance is useful for difficult intravenous cannulation. We compared a commercially available Blue Phantom and a self-made pork meat model for suitability of simulation based training. Methods: We recruited emergency physicians from two public regional hospitals in our locality. We also recruited Myanmar emergency physicians from an ultrasound course. They were given a 30-minute handson practice on both phantoms. Questionnaires, which asked about the practical feeling and overall impression of both phantoms, were distributed afterwards. Results: Thirty-nine emergency physicians with varied experience in ultrasound guided intravenous catheterisation enrolled in the study. The median score were 4 (i.e. agree) in seven out of eight pairs of questions. The practical feeling and overall personal impression were very similar between Blue Phantom and pork meat model. Conclusions: The suitability of self-made pork meat model was similar to Blue Phantom for the training of ultrasound guided IV catheterisation. Pork meat model can used as an alternative training tool.