Peer-Led Point-of-Care Ultrasound; A Potential Ally to Rural Medicine

Objectives Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) is increasingly used in rural settings where it’s portability,and imaging capabilities make it effective clinically. POCUS teaching has traditionally relied on faculty instruction, which is limited by the small number of certified faculty members. The UOttawa POCUS interest group deployed peer-teaching since 2018, which overcomes the instructor barrier by employing experienced medical students to train preclerkship students. This paper will evaluate the efficacy of the peer-led POCUS workshops as a learning format. Methods 3-hour POCUS workshops were held for Cardiac, MSK, Aorta, and eFAST scans from October 2018 to June 2019. Students with prior experience in POCUS were identified as peer-teachers, and were trained by an expert physician prior to the workshop. Peer-teachers taught a small group, with physician experts rotating through groups for technical support. Surveys were sent out to students who participated in the workshops assessing the following categories:utility, learning experience,workshop efficacy, tutor competence, and interest. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis was reported for the quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. Results 45 participants completed the survey. The surveys showed positive support for the aforementioned categories, with the average score being greater than 4. From the thematic analysis, the four main strengths of the peer-led format are: Trainer competence, learner comfort, situational teaching, and opportunity to practice. Conclusion Peer-led workshops are an effective format for POCUS training in instructor-constrained settings. These workshops can be translated to rural settings in lieu of a formal POCUS training program.

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Assessment of Competency of Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Emergency Medicine Residents during Ultrasound Rotation at the Emergency Department

Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences ◽

10.3889/oamjms.2021.5954 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (E) ◽

pp. 293-297

Author(s):

Korakot Apiratwarakul ◽

Kamonwon Ienghong ◽

Nichaphat Tongthummachat ◽

Takaaki Suzuki ◽

Somsak Tiamkao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Emergency Medicine ◽

Residency Program ◽

Clinical Decision Making ◽

Journal Club ◽

Point Of Care ◽

Bedside Ultrasound ◽

Average Score ◽

Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽

Knowledge And Skills

BACKGROUND: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is the core competency in the Emergency Medicine (EM) residency training. However, there are many methods that can be used to evaluate this competency, and the best practices for teaching ultrasonography to residents have yet to be determined. AIM: The researchers aimed at evaluating the POCUS knowledge and skills of the EM residents after having participated in the POCUS training during their first ultrasound rotation in the Emergency Department. METHODS: A curriculum was developed in the form of a 2-week rotation in the EM residency program at the Department of EM at Khon Kaen University’s Srinagarind Hospital. It consisted of didactic lectures, bedside ultrasound trainings, the journal club, and the process of reviewing the images. Tools were developed, which included a knowledge exam. For each resident, the assessments were administered before and after the rotation. Furthermore, an ultrasound skills test was developed to be used at the end of the 1st year EM residency program. RESULTS: Nine EM residents completed their rotations and the tests. The average pre-training score and post-training scores were 5.25 ± 1.03 and 8.50 ± 1.20, respectively. The mean difference score between pre- and post-test was 3.25 ± 1.28. (95% CI −4.321, −2.178). In terms of the ultrasound skills test, the average total score was 26.13 out of 30 (87.1%). Moreover, the residents had higher scores in the aspects of image acquisition (87.5%) and image interpretation (87.5%). However, for the aspect of clinical decision-making, the average score was 75%. The survey questions indicated that with respect to all of the academic activities, the “Bedside ultrasound,” which had encouraged the residents to learn POCUS, was given the highest score (4.75 of 5). CONCLUSIONS: The 2-week ED ultrasound rotation had improved the residents’ EM ultrasound knowledge and skills.

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Use of Handheld Versus Standard Ultrasound Devices in Ultrasound Rotation at the Emergency Department

Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences ◽

10.3889/oamjms.2021.5528 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (E) ◽

pp. 29-32

Author(s):

Kamonwon Ienghong ◽

Kotchakorn Jumroenketpratheep ◽

Somsak Tiamkao ◽

Korakot Apiratwarakul

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Emergency Medicine ◽

Point Of Care ◽

Learning Experience ◽

Baseline Survey ◽

Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Handheld Device ◽

Handheld Ultrasound

BACKGROUND: Recently, handheld ultrasound equipment has come to replace standard machines in the training of emergency medicine residents. However, there have been few studies examining how this change has affected medical education. AIM: We aimed to compare standard and handheld ultrasound machines as educational tools in the emergency medicine residency program. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 17 emergency medicine residents at Srinagarind Hospital emergency department were trained to use point-of-care ultrasound and provided with handheld ultrasound devices during their 2-week ultrasound rotations, which took place between July 2019 and May 2020. Participants were given a 25-question survey comparing their learning experiences with standard versus handheld ultrasound machines. Data were analyzed using an independent sample t-test, and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The response rate was 100%. At the baseline survey, most participants rated their learning experience as greater than 4 out of 5 with both ultrasound devices. They rated the learning experience with the handheld device as being more enjoyable and accessible but not to a statistically significant extent. There were also no significant differences in participants’ ratings of image quality or the ease of obtaining images. However, they rated the handheld device as being more useful and convenient (p < 0.001 and 0.034, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The handheld ultrasound machine is useful in the training of emergency medicine residents. Further studies should be conducted to evaluate residents’ competency in using these devices.

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Accuracy of Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Diagnosis of Skull Fractures in Children

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.2012-3921d ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 131 (6) ◽

pp. X22-X22

Keyword(s):

Point Of Care ◽

Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽

Skull Fractures ◽

Fractures In Children

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Case Report: When all claims that it is necrotizing fasciitis but Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) proves the opposite!

POCUS Journal ◽

10.24908/pocus.v3i1.13310 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 13-14

Author(s):

Hadiel Kaiyasah, MD, MRCS (Glasgow), ABHS-GS ◽

Maryam Al Ali, MBBS

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Critical Care ◽

Case Report ◽

Soft Tissue ◽

Necrotizing Fasciitis ◽

Soft Tissue Infection ◽

Critical Care Unit ◽

Point Of Care ◽

Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽

Soft Tissue Infections

Soft tissue ultrasound (ST-USS) has been shown to be of utmost importance in assessing patients with soft tissue infections in the emergency department or critical care unit. It aids in guiding the management of soft tissue infection based on the sonographic findings.

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Pilot Project: Does formal bedside training of medical students with a FAST exam increase their knowledge and comfort level with ultrasound use in a community family medicine practice setting?

POCUS Journal ◽

10.24908/pocus.v2i2.13279 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 15-17

Author(s):

Rimi Sambi, MD ◽

Heather Sawula, MD ◽

Brent Wolfrom, MD ◽

Joseph Newbigging, MD

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Family Medicine ◽

Point Of Care ◽

Training Session ◽

Undergraduate Curriculum ◽

Knowledge Retention ◽

Comfort Level ◽

Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽

Medical Undergraduate ◽

Fast Exam

As point of care ultrasound (PoCUS) becomes increasingly popular and a standard of care in many clinical settings, the interest for integration in medical undergraduate curriculum is also growing [1]. This project aims to assess whether formal bedside Focused Abdominal Scan for Trauma (FAST) exam training of medical students increases their knowledge and comfort with the use of bedside ultrasound in a family medicine setting at Queen’s University. Third year medical students (n=18) were recruited to participate in a training session involving a 1-hour online video and 2-hour hands-on session. Knowledge based surveys were completed before and after the training. A survey was completed 4 months after the teaching session evaluating knowledge retention, comfort, and application of skills. Student knowledge of PoCUS and FAST increased and was maintained (pre-training 56%±20%, post-training 82%±10%, p<0.001). Self-evaluation of comfort performing a FAST examination (5-point Likert scale) similarly increased post-training session (pre-training 1.4±0.8, post-training 3.8±0.9, p<0.005), but decreased 4 months later (3±1.2, p<0.005). Students in this study were unanimously interested in ultrasound training and the methods used effectively increased theoretical knowledge and comfort with use. Students did not retain their comfort levels with FAST exam 4 months after the training session, nor did they have the opportunity to utilize the skills learned. Further evidence is required to identify the applicability of these results to undergraduate curriculum development.

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