Point-of-Care Ultrasound Training Programs Across Italian Pediatric Residency Schools

Abstract Background Curriculum development and implementation for internal medicine point-of-care ultrasound (IM POCUS) continues to be a challenge for many residency training programs. Education indicators may provide a useful framework to support curriculum development and implementation efforts across programs in order to achieve a consistent high-quality educational experience. Objective This study seeks to establish consensus-based recommendations for education indicators for IM POCUS training programs in Canada. Design This consensus study uses a modified nominal group technique for voting in the initial round, followed by two additional rounds of online voting, with consensus defined as agreement by at least 80% of the participants. Participants Participants were 22 leaders with POCUS and/or education expertise from 13 Canadian internal medicine residency programs across 7 provinces. Main Measures Education indicators considered were those that related to aspects of the POCUS educational system, could be presented by a single statistical measure, were readily understood, could be reliably measured to provide a benchmark for measuring change, and represented a policy issue. We excluded a priori indicators with low feasibility, are impractical, or assess learner reactions. Candidate indicators were drafted by two academic internists with post-graduate training in POCUS and medical education. These indicators were reviewed by two internists with training in quality improvement prior to presentation to the expert participants. Key Results Of the 52 candidate education indicators considered, 6 reached consensus in the first round, 12 in the second, and 4 in the third round. Only 5 indicators reached consensus to be excluded; the remaining indicators did not reach consensus. Conclusions The Canadian Internal Medicine Ultrasound (CIMUS) group recommends 22 education indicators be used to guide and monitor internal medicine POCUS curriculum development efforts in Canada.

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Learner‐centered Survey of Point‐of‐care Ultrasound Training, Competence, and Implementation Barriers in Emergency Medicine Training Programs in India

AEM Education and Training ◽

10.1002/aet2.10423 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

pp. 387-394

Author(s):

Keith S. Boniface ◽

Aaran Drake ◽

Matthew Pyle ◽

Fabith Moideen ◽

Sanjay Mehta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emergency Medicine ◽

Training Programs ◽

Point Of Care ◽

Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽

Implementation Barriers ◽

Learner Centered

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Design and evaluation of the I-SCAN faculty POCUS program

BMC Medical Education ◽

10.1186/s12909-020-02453-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Michael Janjigian ◽

Anne Dembitzer ◽

Caroline Srisarajivakul-Klein ◽

Khemraj Hardower ◽

Deborah Cooke ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Training Programs ◽

Point Of Care ◽

Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽

Median Score ◽

Introductory Course ◽

Hands On ◽

Before And After ◽

Online Feedback ◽

Passing Score ◽

Longitudinal Phase

Abstract Background Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is becoming widely adopted with increasing accessibility of courses. Little is known about the optimal design of the introductory course or longitudinal training programs targeting hospitalists that are critical to success. Methods Hospitalists at four academic sites participated in a two-day introductory course and a longitudinal phase comprising clinical POCUS practice, clip uploading with online feedback, hands-on teaching, and monthly ultrasound conferences. Assessments were performed immediately before and after the two-day course and after 1 year. Results Knowledge increased from baseline to post two-day course (median score 58 and 85%, respectively, p < 0.001) and decreased slightly at 1 year (median score 81%, p = 0.012). After the two-day introductory course, the median score for hands-on image acquisition skills, the principal metric of participant success, was 75%. After 1 year, scores were similar (median score 74%). Confidence increased from baseline to post two-day course (1.5 to 3.1 on a 4 point Likert scale from Not at all confident (1) to Very confident (4), p < 0.001), and remained unchanged after 1 year (2.73). Course elements correlating with a passing score on the final hands-on test included number of clip uploads (r = 0.85, p,0.001), attendance at hands-on sessions (r = 0.7, p = 0.001), and attendance at monthly conferences (r = 0.50, p = 0.03). Conclusions The I-ScaN POCUS training program increased hospitalist knowledge, skill and confidence with maintained skill and confidence after 1 year. Uploading clips and attending hands-on teaching sessions were most correlative with participant success.

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Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Undergraduate Medical Education: a Probe into its Feasibility

University of Ottawa Journal of Medicine ◽

10.18192/uojm.v8i2.3837 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 23-24

Author(s):

John MacIsaac

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Residency Training ◽

Undergraduate Medical Education ◽

Training Programs ◽

Point Of Care ◽

Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽

Medical Specialties ◽

Undergraduate Level ◽

Medical Undergraduate ◽

Point Of Care Ultrasonography

Point of care ultrasonography (POCUS) has had its applications expand rapidly over recent years and across several medical specialties. Enough so that is has become an essential skill in most residency training programs across Canada. Despite this, there is little to no structured POCUS training at the medical undergraduate level. The goal of this commentary is to briefly introduce the value of POCUS in medical education; the feasibility of its integration; current barriers to its introduction; and the potential for students to be a possible solution until faculty can introduce a formal undergraduate POCUS curriculum.

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POCUS or no POCUS

Anaesthesia, Pain & Intensive Care ◽

10.35975/apic.v24i2.1249 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 127-131

Author(s):

Mohamed S. Eissa ◽

Hesham Talab ◽

Mayar Talab

Keyword(s):

Patient Outcome ◽

Clinical Management ◽

Training Programs ◽

Point Of Care ◽

Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽

New Generation ◽

Critical Situations

The use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in the perioperative setting by the anesthesiologists has now become a new demand. It has been proven to improve the patient outcome and to guide clinical management in critical situations. The anesthesiologists are still struggling to obtain POCUS skills and become POCUS competent. In Canada, many institutions have started to integrate POCUS into their anesthesiology training programs to build up a new generation of POCUS trained anesthesiologists.

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Structured Neonatal Point-of-Care Ultrasound Training Program

American Journal of Perinatology ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1709667 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Dalibor Kurepa ◽

Vitalya Boyar ◽

Nahla Zaghloul ◽

Joanna Beachy ◽

Alla Zaytseva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Assurance ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Clinical Decision Making ◽

Training Programs ◽

Point Of Care ◽

Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽

Clinical Tool ◽

Perinatal Medicine ◽

Medical Specialties ◽

Clinical Indications

Abstract Objective Point-of-care ultrasound (POC US) has been increasingly used by intensive care physicians. Growing use of POC US necessitates defining distinct clinical indications for its application, as well as structured POC US training programs. Homogeneous approach to POC US education combined with rigorous quality assurance should further enable POC US to become standard-of-care clinical tool. This study aimed to present the first, innovative, and structured POC US program in neonatal–perinatal medicine field. In addition, we reviewed the availability of the POC US training programs across different medical specialties. Study Design Available English-language publications on POC US training programs in general and neonatal–perinatal medicine were reviewed in this study. Discussion Mounting body of evidence suggests improved procedural completion rates, as well as clinical decision making with the use of POC US. However, limited research supported the existence of structured, comprehensive POC US programs. It was recognized that medical institutions need to develop syllabuses, teach, and credential increasing number of health care professionals in the use of POC US. We defined intuitive educational strategy that encompasses POC US clinical indications, educational curriculum, scanning protocols, competence evaluation, and finally credentialing process. In addition, we offered description of the imaging quality assurance, as well as POC US coding, and reimbursement. Conclusion Future efforts need to be dedicated to the ongoing development of neonatal POC US as a clinical instrument. It should allow for eventual paradigm change and improved effectiveness in management of critically ill neonates.

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Evaluating a longitudinal point-of-care-ultrasound (POCUS) curriculum for pediatric residents

BMC Medical Education ◽

10.1186/s12909-021-02488-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Julia Aogaichi Brant ◽

Jonathan Orsborn ◽

Ryan Good ◽

Emily Greenwald ◽

Megan Mickley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soft Tissues ◽

Imaging Modality ◽

Point Of Care ◽

Ease Of Use ◽

Comfort Level ◽

Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽

Good Tolerability ◽

Pediatric Residents ◽

Pediatric Residency ◽

Hands On

Abstract Background POCUS is a growing field in medical education, and an imaging modality ideal for children given the lack of ionizing radiation, ease of use, and good tolerability. A 2019 literature review revealed that no US pediatric residency programs integrated obligatory POCUS curricula. Our objective was to provide a formalized POCUS curriculum over multiple years, and to retrospectively assess improvement in resident skills and comfort. Methods During intern year, pediatric residents received didactics and hands-on scanning opportunities in basic POCUS applications. Their evaluation tools included pre- and post-surveys and tests, and a final performance exam. In the second and third years of residency, all participants were required to complete 8 hours per year of POCUS content review and additional hands-on training. An optional third-year curriculum was offered to interested residents as career-focused education elective time. Results Our curriculum introduced POCUS topics such as basic and advanced cardiac, lung, skin/soft tissues and procedural based ultrasound to all pediatric residents. Among first-year residents, application-specific results showed POCUS comfort level improved by 61–90%. Completed evaluations demonstrated improvement in their ability to recognize and interpret POCUS images. Second- and third-year residents reported educational effectiveness that was rated 3.9 on a 4-point Likert scale. Four third-year residents took part in the optional POCUS elective, and all reported a change in their practice with increased POCUS incorporation. Conclusions Our longitudinal pediatric residency POCUS curriculum is feasible to integrate into residency training and exhibits early success.

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