Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST) Training for First-Year Resident Physicians at a University Hospital in Japan: A Longitudinal, Observational Study
Abstract Background: Ultrasound training is an essential part of residency programs during emergency medicine (EM) rotations for first-year trainees (postgraduate year 1; PGY1). The Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) examination to assess for internal bleeding in trauma patients is one of the essential scans, which PGY1 residents must learn during the EM rotation.Method: A prospective, longitudinal, observational study of PGY1 residents during an EM rotation (two months) conducted from April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020 was performed. The primary outcome was the mean difference between the hands-on FAST examination scores of the first week of the EM rotation and the same hands-on FAST examination scores of the last week of the EM rotation. All PGY1 residents could access the ultrasound machine freely for examining other PGY1 residents and could use it for real patients under supervision of EM physicians.Result: A total of 34 PGY1 residents (male 29, female 5) were recruited and completed the hands-on FAST test in both the first week and the last week of the rotation. The mean test score for the PGY1 residents in the first week was 7.53 (standard deviation [SD] 2.12). The mean test score in the last week was 15.88 (SD 2.46). The primary outcome of this study was the score difference between the first and last weeks (mean 8.35, 95% confidence interval 7.36 - 9.35, P < 0.0001, paired t-test).Conclusion: Hands-on practical FAST training for PGY1 residents during EM rotations significantly improved their FAST test scores.