Remote Guidance for eFAST Training Using a Head-Mounted Device

Summary

This study looks at the best way to remotely teach and guide doctors-in-training to perform a bedside ultrasound exam called eFAST (extended Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma), which is used to quickly check injured patients for internal bleeding or air around the lungs.

The study takes place in a simulation setting, with no real patients. Resident physicians who have completed the basic ultrasound courses each watch the same short instructional video and then perform three eFAST examinations on the same healthy volunteer. Participants are randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) the instructional video only, with no live help; (2) the video plus real-time audio guidance from a remote expert who can see the live ultrasound image; or (3) the video plus guidance through a head-mounted device that also lets the expert see the participant's own point of view.

Afterwards, experts who were not involved in a given exam review the recorded ultrasound images, without knowing which group the participant was in, and rate the image quality and skill. The study also measures how long the exams take, the participants' workload, and the comfort and usability of the system.

The goal is to learn whether real-time remote guidance, and in particular guidance through a head-mounted device, helps trainees produce better and faster eFAST examinations than an instructional video alone.

Conditions

• Clinical Competence
• Ultrasonography
• Medical Education
• Point-of-care Ultrasound (POCUS)
• Focused Assessment With Sonography for Trauma (FAST)

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Standardized instructional eFAST video

All participants watch the same brief standardized instructional eFAST video and receive a short standardized introduction to the ultrasound system, then perform three consecutive complete eFAST examinations on a standardized healthy volunteer. In the video-only arm this is the only instruction; no live expert guidance is provided during the examinations.

BEHAVIORAL

Real-time audio remote expert guidance (Microsoft Teams)

A remote emergency-ultrasound expert joins the session via Microsoft Teams, views the participant's live ultrasound image in real time (streamed from the GE system to a study laptop that shares it in the call), and provides verbal, audio-only guidance during the eFAST examinations. The expert does not see the participant's point of view. Guidance is real-time only.

DEVICE

Head-mounted-device remote expert guidance (Arc 3, RealWear)

In addition to the live ultrasound image shared via Microsoft Teams, the participant wears the Arc 3 head-mounted device (RealWear), which transmits their point-of-view video to the remote expert in the same Teams call. The expert sees both the point-of-view stream and the live ultrasound image and gives real-time guidance; the participant can see the expert's video on the head-mounted display.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Philipp Fürnstahl

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Philipp Fürnstahl, PhD · Balgrist University Hospital

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-08-17

Primary Completion

2026-10-31

Completion

2027-06-30

Countries

• Switzerland

Study Locations