scholarly journals Canadian Association of Radiologists Position Statement on Point-of-Care Ultrasound

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 219-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanya P. Chawla ◽  
Mark Cresswell ◽  
Sukhvinder Dhillon ◽  
Mary-Louise C. Greer ◽  
Angus Hartery ◽  
...  
CJEM ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (S1) ◽  
pp. S67-S67
Author(s):  
P.R. Atkinson ◽  
D. Lewis ◽  
J. Fraser

Introduction: Organizations including CAEP, CEUS, the International Federation for Emergency Medicine (IFEM) and the Canadian Association of Radiologists have all called for defined competency assessments for point of care ultrasound (PoCUS). Definitions of core indications vary. The requirement for ongoing assessment of performance and skills maintenance is often overlooked. We describe the introduction an IFEM approved Assessment of Practice (AP) tool across a PoCUS training program and for continued assessment. Methods: We completed a cross sectional survey and cohort study including the entire body of emergency medicine physicians at a tertiary hospital. Over a 3 year period, all practitioners were assessed for CAEP position statement defined core applications at baseline and again after 2 years using a published PoCUS AP tool. We describe the tool, its application and the performance assessment findings. Emergency physicians (EP) underwent AP following formal training including an approved course and a logbook documenting a variable number of scans. Results: 23 EPs completed training and underwent AP initially, with all 23 EPs completing further assessment within 3 years. Assessment of practice was completed for 1. Focused Diagnostic Ultrasound Assessment for AAA, eFAST, cardiac, early pregnancy; and 2. Focused Procedural Ultrasound Guidance for venous catheterization. All EPs demonstrated initial and continuing competency in these PoCUS modalities. Conclusion: The IFEM PoCUS curriculum promotes ongoing local assessment of performance. We successfully implemented this competency based approach and demonstrated feasibility, flexibility and utility in a Canadian emergency medicine program.


2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashraf Kharrat ◽  
Patrick J. McNamara ◽  
Dany Weisz ◽  
Amish Jain

In the neonatal setting, point-of-care ultrasound is increasingly being used to help clinicians with the evaluation of heart function. Practices in neonatology, particularly with regard to acute and chronic hemodynamic managements, were traditionally more driven on dogma and predefined thresholds and not always supported by demonstrable physiology. For the first time, targeted neonatal echocardiography (TNE) provided neonatal intensivists with a bedside tool that made real-time assessment of neonatal hemodynamics status feasible in even the tiniest of babies. This opened the door towards more targeted physiological driven practices, allowing us to test historical approaches to clinical problems in a more precise way. Despite the standardization of TNE training and the creation of a formalized curriculum, little attention has been paid to the establishment of an empirical framework to adjudicate scientific investigation. In this position statement, we reflect on the evolution of TNE in Canadian neonatal intensive care units, appraise its strengths and limitations, and suggest guiding principles for clinicians and researchers to consider as they take this field forward.


Author(s):  
Nilam J Soni ◽  
Daniel Schnobrich ◽  
Benji K Mathews ◽  
David M Tierney ◽  
Trevor P Jensen ◽  
...  

CJEM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (S1) ◽  
pp. S66-S66
Author(s):  
D. Wiercigroch ◽  
S. Friedman ◽  
D. Porplycia ◽  
M. Ben-Yakov

Introduction: The use of regional anesthesia (RA) by emergency physicians (EPs) is expanding in frequency and range of application as expertise in point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) grows, but widespread use remains limited. We sought to characterize the use of RA by Canadian EPs, including practices, perspectives and barriers to use in the ED. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of Canadian EPs was administered to members of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP), consisting of sixteen multiple choice and numerical responses. Responses were summarized descriptively as percentages and as the median and inter quartile range (IQR) for quantitative variables. Results: The survey was completed by 149/1144 staff EPs, with a response rate of 13%. EPs used RA a median of 2 (IQR 0-4) times in the past ten shifts. The most broadly used applications were soft tissue repair (84.5% of EPs, n = 126), fracture pain management (79.2%, n = 118) and orthopedic reduction (72.5%, n = 108). EPs agreed that RA is safe to use in the ED (98.7%) and were interested in using it more frequently (78.5%). Almost all (98.0%) respondents had POCUS available, however less than half (49.0%) felt comfortable using it for RA. EPs indicated that they required more training (76.5%), a departmental protocol (47.0%), and nursing assistance (30.2%) to increase their use. Conclusion: Canadian EPs engage in limited use of RA but express an interest in expanding their use. While equipment is available, additional training, protocols, and increased support from nursing staff are modifiable factors that could facilitate uptake of RA in the ED.


CJEM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (S1) ◽  
pp. S65-S65
Author(s):  
M. Wong ◽  
M. Woo ◽  
W. Cheung ◽  
P. Pageau ◽  
P. Olszynski ◽  
...  

Introduction: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has become standard practice in emergency departments ranging from remote rural hospitals to well-resourced academic centres. To facilitate quality assurance, the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP) recommends image archiving. Due in part to poor infrastructure and lack of a national standard, however, archiving remains uncommon. Our objective was to establish a minimum standard archiving protocol for the core emergency department POCUS indications. Methods: Itemization of potential archiving standards was created through an extensive literature review. An online, three-round, modified Delphi survey was conducted with the thirteen POCUS experts on the national CAEP Emergency Ultrasound Committee tasked with representing diverse practice locations and experiences. Participants were surveyed to determine the images or clips, measurements, mode, and number of views that should comprise the minimum standard for archiving. Consensus was pre-defined as 80%. Results: All thirteen experts participated fully in the three rounds. In establishing minimum image archiving standards for emergency department POCUS, complete consensus was achieved for first trimester pregnancy, hydronephrosis, cardiac activity versus standstill, lower extremity deep venous thrombosis, and ultrasound-guided central line placement. Consensus was achieved for the majority of statements regarding abdominal aortic aneurysm, extended focused assessment with sonography in trauma, pericardial effusion, left and right ventricular function, thoracic B-line assessment, cholelithiasis and cholecystitis scans. In total, consensus was reached for 58 of 69 statements (84.1%). This included agreement on 41 of 43 statements (95.3%) describing mandatory images for archiving in the above indications. Conclusion: Our modified Delphi-derived consensus represents the first national standard archiving requirements for emergency department POCUS. Depending on the clinical context, additional images may be required beyond this minimum standard to support a diagnosis.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document