Six-year experience in teaching pelvic floor ultrasonography using pelvic floor phantoms

OBJECTIVE: To review our 6-year experience (2009- 2015) in teaching three-dimensional pelvic floor ultrasonography workshops that utilized pelvic floor phantoms in the setting of an Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills methodology. METHODS: Four-hour Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills workshops were given at several society meetings and involved a didactic session, a hands-on session using the pelvic floor phantoms, and a computer station session reviewing pelvic floor pathologies. We analyzed improvement in participants' diagnostic skills using a test with 60 illustrated questions of normal and pathologic findings in live human models. RESULTS: Two hundred forty-three attendees completed the 60-question test before and after attending the workshop. Paired t test showed a significant improvement in attendees' average scores after the workshop in all categories: anatomy, normal, or pathologic endovaginal imaging and normal or pathologic endoanal imaging (P<.001 for all). McNemar test showed a statistically significant increased number of correct answers in 50 of 60 (83%) questions. CONCLUSION: Our Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills workshops incorporating pelvic floor phantoms enhanced trainees' pelvic floor ultrasound diagnostic skills.