Short summary

The study is an explorative study developing and validating a new objective scale assessing clinicians' ultrasound-guided lung- and pleural biopsies. The assessment tool will be developed through expert consensus using the Delphi Method. Once developed, the tool will be tested and validated by having experts to use it rate participants performing the procedure.

Rationale

Currently, many clinicians are trained through an apprenticeship model, where skills are passed on from experienced colleagues. However, medical education theory challenges this approach, advocating for structured and evidence-based training to enhance competency and patient safety. Studies have shown that inconsistently trained operators risk missing critical pathologies, over-/underdiagnosing conditions, and increasing complications such as infections or bleedings following the procedures. Therefore, there is a pressing need to implement standardized training programs with validated assessment tools to ensure uniformity and guarantee a certain level of competence among clinicians.

Description of the cohort

The assessment tool will be developed through expert consensus using the Delphi Method. Participants performing the procedure will be recruited during the annual conferences of the ERS congress, internal training events for doctors at Odense University Hospital and data collection consisting of recording the participants performing the procedures will be mobile during the above-mentioned events and take place in collaboration with Simulation Center, OUH.

Data and biological material

The assessment tool will be developed using the Delphi Method and will be through RedCap based surveys. For the validation fase of the project, rubber phantoms with ultrasound capabilities will be used as test equipment. Test cases will include performing one ultrasound-guided lung biopsy. The participants as well as the ultrasound footage will be video-recorded during the performance of the procedure.

Collaborating researchers and departments

Odense Respiratory Research Unit (ODIN)

• Christian Borbjerg Laursen, Clinical Professor, PhD, Lead Consultant, Head of Research
• Pernilla Goldberg Borggaard, PhD-student

Research unit of Radiology (Odense)

• Pia Iben Pietersen, Associate Professor, MD, PhD

Copenhagen Academy for Medical Education and Simulation, CAMES

• Lars Konge, Professor, MD, PhD

Department of Clinical Medicine - Department of Respiratory Diseases and Allergy

• Søren Helbo Skaarup, MD, PhD

Zealand University Hospital, Medicine (Roskilde)

• Uffe Christian Steinholtz Bødtger, Professor, PhD, MD, Consultant in Respiratory Medicine

Bristol Respiratory Department, North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol

• Rahul Bhatnagar, Adjunct Professor, MD, PhD

Oxford Respiratory Trials Unit (ORTU), Oxford

• Najib Rahman, Professor of Respiratory Medicine