The creation of an objective assessment tool for ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia using the Delphi method.

Abstract

The assessment of technical skills in ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia is currently subjective and relies largely on observations of the trainer. The objective of this study was to develop a checklist to assess training progress and to detect training gaps in ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia using the Delphi method. A 30-item checklist was developed and then e-mailed to 18 reviewers for feedback. The checklist was modified on the basis of their feedback. This process of iteration was repeated until no further feedback was received, and a consensus was reached on the final composition of the checklist. A global rating scale (GRS) was introduced as a result of the feedback. Three rounds of feedback were required to reach consensus on the composition of the checklist and the GRS. The final checklist contains 22 items, and the GRS contains 9 categories. Using the Delphi method, a checklist and GRS were developed. These tools can serve as an objective means of assessing progress in ultrasound technical skills acquisition.