Remote Guidance for eFAST Training Using a Head-Mounted Device

Starting soon · Not applicable

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

In brief

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.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07686497

Run by

Philipp Fürnstahl

People needed

75

Starts

2026-07-01

Expected to finish

2027-06-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-07-07

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Age 18 years or older
• Resident physician currently in postgraduate training
• Completion of the national Basic Course in Abdominal Ultrasound and the Basic Course in Emergency Ultrasound (SGUM)
• Sufficient proficiency in English to understand study instructions, questionnaires, and expert guidance
• Able and willing to attend an approximately 45-minute study session
• Written informed consent

You may not qualify if…

• Physical limitations that impair ultrasound performance (e.g., upper-limb injury, uncorrected severe visual impairment)
• Unable to attend the scheduled session
• Participation in conflicting educational studies

Where it is running

• Balgrist Campus, University Hospital Balgrist — Zurich, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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