Invitation to take part
You are invited to take part in a University of Nottingham research study exploring current practice in ultrasound-guided regional anaesthesia (UGRA) training and anaesthetists’ views on technology-enhanced approaches to UGRA education and assessment.
In this survey, technology-enhanced approaches include:
- Eye-tracking: is a technology that measures where a person is looking, and how long they focus on specific points. For example when viewing the ultrasound screen during training.
- Artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted ultrasound, which may help with image acquisition and interpretation.
- Immersive technologies, including augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR): technologies which can add digital visual information to the user’s view.
Why have I been invited?
You have been invited because you are an anaesthetist who may be involved in performing, supervising, or teaching UGRA. The study is open to consultant anaesthetists, SAS anaesthetists, and anaesthesia trainees/residents of all grades in the United Kingdom.
What will taking part involve?
If you decide to take part, you will be asked to complete a single anonymous online questionnaire. The survey will take approximately 8–10 minutes to complete.
The questionnaire includes questions about:
- your experience in anaesthesia and UGRA;
- current UGRA training practices;
- your awareness and previous exposure to technology-enhanced approaches;
- your views on their possible usefulness in training, feedback and assessment;
- perceived barriers to implementation;
- priorities for future research and evaluation.
A small number of optional free-text questions are included.
Do I have to take part?
Participation is entirely voluntary. You may stop completing the survey at any time before submitting your responses. Because the survey is anonymous, once you have submitted your response it may not be possible to identify and remove your data from the dataset.
Are there any risks or benefits?
There are no anticipated significant risks from taking part, other than the small time commitment required to complete the questionnaire. There may be no direct personal benefit to you, but your responses may help improve understanding of UGRA training practice and inform future educational research and technology-enhanced training in regional anaesthesia.
What will happen to my data?
Survey data will be stored securely on University of Nottingham-approved systems and accessed only by authorised members of the research team. Anonymised data from this study may be used in research publications, conference presentations, and a PhD thesis. Data will be kept for 7 years after the study has ended and then deleted. If you choose to provide contact details for future research, these will be collected separately and will not be linked to your survey responses.
Who is organising the study?
The study is organised by Osama Natto, PhD candidate, University of Nottingham School of Medicine, under the supervision of Dr David Hewson and Prof Jonathan Hardman.
If you have any questions about the study, please contact:
Osama Natto
Academic Unit of Injury, Recovery & Inflammation Sciences
School of Medicine, University of Nottingham
Email: OSAMA.NATTO@nottingham.ac.uk
If you agree to take part, please proceed to the consent question on the next page.