Dr David Kessell, Leeds teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
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Ultrasound guided needle insertion is a critical first step in many medical procedures such as deep tissue biopsy, abscess drainage, placement of central venous lines, management of blocked urinary and biliary tracts and percutaneous tumour ablation. A novel low-cost prototype simulator for training in ultrasound guided needle insertion has been developed as collaborative project between Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (Dr. David Kessel) and Leeds University School of Computing (Dr. Derek Magee). The simulator was the winning entry in its category of Medipex’s 2007 NHS Innovations competition and was runner-up in the “ICT” category in the National NHS Innovations competition. In an article in HES Magazine (December 2005), Professor Sir Ara Darzi discussed the need for improved medical training using simulators such as this.

It is anticipated that training on the simulator will shorten the time an individual requires to become competent at ultrasound guided needle-insertion procedures. In order to achieve this it is essential to develop an educational curriculum for the effective delivery of training and then to provide simulator training sessions in advance of clinical exposure. Funding from the WRHIP is facilitating the development and validation of a suite of online training materials to train novices in the art of needle placement using the simulator.