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Published in: Journal of Digital Imaging 2/2017

01-04-2017

A Feasibility Study of Telementoring for Identifying the Appendix Using Smartphone-Based Telesonography

Authors: Yoonje Lee, Changsun Kim, Hyuk Joong Choi, Bossng Kang, Jaehoon Oh, Tae Ho Lim

Published in: Journal of Imaging Informatics in Medicine | Issue 2/2017

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Abstract

We investigated the feasibility of the clinical application of novice-practitioner-performed/offsite-mentor-guided ultrasonography for identifying the appendix. A randomized crossover study was conducted using a telesonography system that can transmit the ultrasound images displayed on the ultrasound monitor (ultrasound sequence video) and images showing the practitioner’s operations (background video) to a smartphone without any interruption in motion over a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network. Thirty novice practitioners were randomly assigned to two groups. The subjects in group A (n = 15) performed ultrasonography for the identification of the appendix under mentoring by an onsite expert, whereas those in group B (n = 15) performed the same procedure under mentoring by an offsite expert. Each subject performed the procedure on three simulated patients. After a 4-week interval, they performed the procedure again under the other type of mentoring. A total of 90 ultrasound examinations were performed in each scenario. The primary outcomes were the success rate for identifying the appendix and the time required to identify the appendix. The success rates for identifying the appendix were 91.1 % (82/90) in onsite-mentored ultrasonography and 87.8 % (79/90) in offsite-mentored ultrasonography; both rates were high, and there was no significant difference (p = 0.468) between them. The time required in the case of offsite mentoring (median, 242.9 s; interquartile range (IQR), 238.2) was longer than that for onsite mentoring (median, 291.4 s; IQR, 200.9); however, the difference was not significant (p = 0.051). It appears that offsite mentoring can allow novice onsite practitioners to perform ultrasonography as effectively as they can under onsite mentoring, even for examinations that require proficiency in rather complex practices, such as identifying the appendix.
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Metadata
Title
A Feasibility Study of Telementoring for Identifying the Appendix Using Smartphone-Based Telesonography
Authors
Yoonje Lee
Changsun Kim
Hyuk Joong Choi
Bossng Kang
Jaehoon Oh
Tae Ho Lim
Publication date
01-04-2017
Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Published in
Journal of Imaging Informatics in Medicine / Issue 2/2017
Print ISSN: 2948-2925
Electronic ISSN: 2948-2933
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10278-016-9921-x

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