Virtual guidance as a tool to obtain diagnostic ultrasound for spaceflight and remote environments.
BACKGROUND
With missions planned to travel greater distances from Earth at ranges that make real-time two-way communication impractical, astronauts will be required to perform autonomous medical diagnostic procedures during future exploration missions. Virtual guidance is a form of just-in-time training developed to allow novice ultrasound operators to acquire diagnostically-adequate images of clinically relevant anatomical structures using a prerecorded audio/visual tutorial viewed in real-time.


METHODS
Individuals without previous experience in ultrasound were recruited to perform carotid artery (N = 10) and ophthalmic (N = 9) ultrasound examinations using virtual guidance as their only training tool. In the carotid group, each untrained operator acquired two-dimensional, pulsed and color Doppler of the carotid artery. In the ophthalmic group, operators acquired representative images of the anterior chamber of the eye, retina, optic nerve, and nerve sheath. Ultrasound image quality was evaluated by independent imaging experts.


RESULTS
Of the studies, 8 of the 10 carotid and 17 of 18 of the ophthalmic images (2 images collected per study) were judged to be diagnostically adequate. The quality of all but one of the ophthalmic images ranged from adequate to excellent.


CONCLUSIONS
Diagnostically-adequate carotid and ophthalmic ultrasound examinations can be obtained by previously untrained operators with assistance from only an audio/video tutorial viewed in real time while scanning. This form of just-in-time training, which can be applied to other examinations, represents an opportunity to acquire important information for NASA flight surgeons and researchers when trained medical personnel are not available or when remote guidance is impractical.
Wyle Integrated Science and Engineering, 1290 Hercules Blvd., Houston, USA. david.s.martin@nasa.gov
David S
DS
Martin
Timothy L
TL
Caine
Timothy
T
Matz
Stuart M C
SM
Lee
Michael B
MB
Stenger
Ashot E
AE
Sargsyan
Steven H
SH
Platts
D000328:Adult; D000337:Aerospace Medicine / Q000193:education*; D018480:Astronauts / Q000193:education*; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000379:methods*; D005123:Eye / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D046609:Libraries, Digital; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013026:Space Flight; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color; D018617:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Pulsed