A novel nerve block and anatomy workshop for emergency medicine residents: A pilot study

Construct a workshop for emergency medicine (EM) residents to learn ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia (UGRA) procedures and build confidence in performing those procedures. Use pre- and post-workshop knowledge and confidence surveys to determine workshop effectiveness. We created a workshop using prosected donors, ultrasound (US) scanning on standardized patients, and needling technique on a phantom model to increase residents' knowledge and confidence for eight UGRA procedures. Pre- and post-workshop assessments are used to measure confidence and knowledge gains. Forty-four EM residents participated in the workshop. Residents scored significantly higher on the post-workshop (n = 29) knowledge assessment compared to the pre-workshop (n = 39) knowledge assessment (12.0 ± 2.0 vs. 8.44 ± 2.45; p < 0.001). Confidence increased significantly on the post-workshop (n = 40) assessment compared to the pre-workshop (n = 28) assessment (p < 0.001). "Extremely confident" and "very confident" statements increased from 11.1% to 45.1% of responses. The self-efficacy gained by residents in this workshop can lead to increased patient safety as opioids are avoided in the emergency department. Workshops such as the one described in this manuscript provide residents and attendings opportunities to learn skills and knowledge for UGRA procedures. This workshop provides EM faculty with an effective environment in which to teach their residents proper skills for UGRA and can be easily replicated at other institutions. Future workshops should include assessment of clinical competency following training.