Impact of an Interactive Web-based Reporting Form in Basic Cardiac Ultrasound Training – Longitudinal Educational Cohort Pilot Study: On Behalf of the SPARTAN Collaborative

Background and aims: Acting on feedback from learning ultrasound in critical care (LUCC) trainees learning longitudinal cardiac point-ofcare ultrasound (PoCUS), we created an interactive web-based reporting form designed to enhance their understanding and self-analysis.We evaluated whether this form improves basic cardiac PoCUS skill acquisition compared with noninteractive forms.Patients and methods: In this multicenter prospective-retrospective cohort study, LUCC trainees from Australasia performed serial basic cardiac PoCUS scans on critically ill patients after an online introductory package.Ten consecutive trainees prospectively using an interactive research electronic data capture (REDCap™) form (interactive cohort) were compared with 10 consecutive retrospective trainees using Google Forms™ (noninteractive cohort).Scans were independently scored by two blinded expert assessors using objective view-specific rubrics.Primary outcomes were image acquisition quality (assessor rated scores and trainee-assessor agreement).Secondary outcomes were technical troubleshooting performance and diagnostic image-interpretation accuracy.Results: Mean image acquisition scores increased in both cohorts but were higher in the interactive cohort from scans 6-10 onwards.Growth curve modeling showed a steeper early learning slope in the interactive cohort [additional 0.44%/scan; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.05-0.83].Interrater reliability between trainees and assessors increased across blocks in both cohorts and reached higher values in the interactive cohort by scans 16-20.Technical troubleshooting and diagnostic accuracy were generally higher for visually guided items in the interactive cohort, while unguided items showed smaller differences.Conclusion: In a longitudinal critical care PoCUS curriculum, an interactive web-based reporting form was associated with faster early gains in image acquisition and higher late trainee-assessor agreement than noninteractive forms.