EUSAT Trial: Creation and Validation of a EUS Assessment Tool

EUS training and implementation requirements are under discussion. The purpose of this study was to create and validate an objective assessment method that can provide valuable feed-back to trainees and help to decide when basic competency is established.

The assessment tool was designed by an expert group of doctors very experienced in either EUS or objective assessment instruments. Patients scheduled for mediastinal tissue staging by EUS-FNA were included in the study. Physicians with varying experience in EUS were tested several times and assessed by three different raters both directly and using video-recordings of their procedures.

The first procedures (n=10) has been recorded and assessed: We have found high test-retest reliability. At the time of presentation more than 100 assessments have been made, which allows us to perform construct validation and calculate intra-rater- and inter-rater-reliability. Using Generalizability Theory we can then decide the optimal setup for establishing competency in EUS.

There is a great need for formalized and structured education in EUS. It is important to recognize the fact that trainees learn at different paces, and the important decision of when a physician master EUS should not simply be based on the time in training or the number of procedures performed. We propose to use this new, reliable, and validated assessment tool.