A narrative review of Neonatal Echocardiography Simulator Training (NEST): role of simulators in acquiring neonatal echocardiography skills effectively.

Abstract

Neonatologist performed echocardiography (NPE) is fast becoming as an essential tool to provide high-quality patient care in the neonatal intensive care units (NICU), especially to infants with hemodynamic instability. With limited training opportunities in the neonatal intensive care setting, learning echocardiography and implementation of published neonatal echocardiography training guidelines remain a challenge for the vast majority of neonatologists across the world. Hence, these guidelines have recommended the use of simulators for the initial echocardiography training. In the last two decades, simulators dedicated to developing skills in neonatal echocardiography have been developed and their effectiveness in imaging acquisition and interpretation has been validated. This manuscript explores the role of simulators in developing echocardiography skills, their pros and cons, available tools for the neonatologists and how they can utilize these tools in their training. IMPACT: Neonatal echocardiography simulators have been validated as an effective tool in improving echocardiography skills among neonatology care providers, for both with and without prior echocardiography skills. This manuscript explores the role of simulators in developing echocardiography skills, their pros and cons, and how they can be utilized in training targeted neonatal echocardiography skills.