Ultrasound Applications for Emergency Medical Technicians in Taiwan

National Taiwan University

Status: Begins enrollment in 2 months

Conditions: Point-of-care Ultrasound; Prehospital Emergency Medical Services

Treatments: Other: POCUS education curriculum

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06950333

202412164RINC

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this prospective observational study is to develop and assess the core ultrasound applications for emergency medical technicians (EMTs) in Taiwan. The study focuses on advanced emergency medical technicians (EMT-Ps) and their ability to perform point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in prehospital settings.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

Can a standardized POCUS training program improve EMT-Ps' competency in ultrasound applications? What is the reliability and validity of the newly established POCUS assessment modules for EMT-Ps? Researchers will compare trained EMT-Ps' ultrasound proficiency and clinical decision-making before and after training to see if structured POCUS education enhances diagnostic accuracy and patient care in prehospital settings.

Participants will:

Attend a structured POCUS training program, including lectures and hands-on practice with standardized patients and simulation models.

Undergo competency assessments, including written exams, objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs), and image interpretation tests.

Perform ultrasound scans on actual patients in prehospital settings, focusing on trauma, respiratory distress, stroke, and cardiac arrest cases.

Receive feedback and participate in follow-up assessments to evaluate knowledge retention and clinical application.

Enrollment: 200 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Patients presenting with one of the following conditions in the prehospital setting:

Trauma Dyspnea (shortness of breath) Suspected stroke Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA)

Exclusion criteria

• Patients with hemodynamic instability or critical conditions requiring immediate resuscitation, making them unsuitable for focused prehospital ultrasound performed by EMT-Ps.
• Patients under the age of 18.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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200 participants in 1 patient group

EMT who receive POCUS curriculum

Experimental group

Description:

This arm includes certified advanced emergency medical technicians (EMT-P) who are enrolled in a structured point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) education program developed specifically for prehospital providers in Taiwan. Participants receive a four-hour training module composed of didactic instruction and hands-on practice focused on trauma (FAST), dyspnea (lung ultrasound), suspected stroke (carotid Doppler), and cardiac arrest (focused cardiac ultrasound). Post-training assessments include written exams and objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs). Participants will also complete follow-up assessments at six months and participate in supervised prehospital ultrasound scanning during real-world EMS missions.

Treatment:

Other: POCUS education curriculum