Near Remote Method to Guide Performance of Regional Anesthesia
Implementation and Measurement of a Real-time, Near-remote Method to Operationalize Ultrasound-based Regional Anesthesia/Analgesia Procedural Techniques
1 other identifier
observational
200
1 country
1
Brief Summary
Ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia/analgesia techniques (or simply, 'regional blocks') have gained popularity as they can reduce, and sometimes even eliminate, the need for opiate analgesics (and, consequently, their side effects), thereby improving patient safety, reducing length of hospital stay and medical costs, and improving patient satisfaction. However, a major barrier to mainstream uptake of such techniques relates to training. These techniques require the acquisition of new skills under expert guidance, which is often not possible given the daily demands placed upon anesthesiologists. As a result, many opportunities for providing regional blocks may be missed. The purpose of this study is to implement a new real-time 'near remote' guidance method in which trainees who are to perform regional blocks can do so via tele-mentoring under expert guidance. This will be done using a novel technology whereby the ultrasound image is concurrently displayed on an iPad screen (for the block operator/trainee) as well as on the (near remotely supervising) expert mentor's smartphone. Trainees and mentors will use this method to perform various standard of care regional blocks, either in the perioperative or emergency department settings. Participants' opinions of the novel teaching and learning method will be assessed.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P75+ for all trials
Started Jan 2026
Shorter than P25 for all trials
1 active site
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
Click on a node to explore related trials.
Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
First Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
July 11, 2023
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
August 1, 2023
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
January 1, 2026
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
July 1, 2026
ExpectedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
July 1, 2026
July 31, 2025
July 1, 2025
6 months
July 11, 2023
July 28, 2025
Conditions
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
Participant opinion
The investigators will assess the opinions of mentors and trainees regarding the use of 'near-remote' guidance for the performance of ultrasound-guided regional blocks.
Immediately following block performance
Secondary Outcomes (6)
Block success
Within 30 min following block performance
Block image
Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Complications
Immediately postoperatively
Patient satisfaction
Immediately postoperatively
Number of attempts
Immediately following block performance
- +1 more secondary outcomes
Interventions
Trainees who are to perform regional blocks will do so under expert guidance via tele-mentoring. This will be done using a novel technology consisting of a wirelessly linked iPad which will display the ultrasound image to the block operator/trainee. This image will be concurrently visualized by an expert mentor through their smartphone, who will then provide feedback/guidance in real-time to the operator/trainee.
Eligibility Criteria
Participants will include: (1) mentors, i.e., staff regional anesthesiologists who are experts in ultrasound-guided regional blocks; (2) trainees, i.e., PGY-3 to PGY-5 anesthesia and emergency medicine residents, and emergency medicine staff physicians; and (3) patients, i.e., individuals 18 years and older scheduled for surgery amenable to regional blocks or presenting to the emergency department with traumatic injuries amenable to regional blocks.
You may qualify if:
- Mentors: Staff anesthesiologists who are experts in regional blocks.
- Trainees: Senior (PGY3-5) residents (anesthesiology and emergency medicine), and staff (emergency medicine) physicians who have already performed and are comfortable with being supervised near remotely for the regional block at hand.
- Patients: Greater or equal to 18 years of age presenting for surgery or with traumatic injuries amenable to regional blocks.
- All of the above: Able to read and understand English, and competent to provide written informed consent.
You may not qualify if:
- Mentors: Staff anesthesiologists who are not experts in the performance/teaching of regional blocks.
- Trainees: Junior (PGY1-2) residents (for any/all types of regional blocks), and senior (PGY3-5) residents and staff physicians who are not comfortable with being supervised near remotely for the regional block at hand.
- Patients: Less than 18 years of age.
- All of the above: Unable to read and understand English, and not competent to provide written informed consent.
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
Study Sites (1)
Hotel Dieu Hospital site (primary) and Kingston General Hospital site (secondary), Kingston Health Sciences Centre
Kingston, Ontario, K7L 5G2, Canada
Related Links
- Exploring the utility of assistive artificial intelligence for ultrasound scanning in regional anesthesia
- Regional anesthesia training model for resource-limited settings: a prospective single-center observational study with pre-post evaluations
- Application of distant live broadcast in clinical anesthesiology teaching
- FaceTime® for teaching ultrasound-guided anesthetic procedures in remote place
- Novel real-time feedback and integrated simulation model for teaching and evaluating ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia skills in pediatric anesthesia trainees
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Glenio B. Mizubuti, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Queen's University. Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- observational
- Observational Model
- OTHER
- Time Perspective
- PROSPECTIVE
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- (MD, MSc, FRCPC, Associate Professor)
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
July 11, 2023
First Posted
August 1, 2023
Study Start
January 1, 2026
Primary Completion (Estimated)
July 1, 2026
Study Completion (Estimated)
July 1, 2026
Last Updated
July 31, 2025
Record last verified: 2025-07
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will not share
The information which will be associated (via study ID number) with each ultrasound image includes: sex, age, BMI range, surgery type and regional block type. The data will be saved directly to a secure server, and subsequently exported to SPSS for analysis. The only identifier will be the study ID number.