scholarly journals Curriculum mapping for Focused Acute Medicine Ultrasound (FAMUS)

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 168-168
Author(s):  
Karim Fouad Alber ◽  
◽  
Martin Dachsel ◽  
Alastair Gilmore ◽  
Philip Lawrenson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Focused Ultrasound ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Response To Treatment ◽  
Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽  
Curriculum Mapping ◽  
Acute Medicine ◽  
Portable Ultrasound ◽  
Sonographic Assessment ◽  
Radiology Training

Dear sir/madam, Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) in the hands of the non-radiologist has seen a steady growth in popularity amongst emergency, intensive care and acute medical physicians. Increased accessibility to portable, purpose-built ultrasound machines has meant that clinicians often have access to a safe and non-invasive tool to enhance their management of the unwell. Focused Acute Medicine Ultrasound (FAMUS) is the point of care ultrasound curriculum created to aid the management of the acutely unwell adult patient. Following a survey of trainees and consultants, it was apparent that there was a strong desire for Acute Medics to be able to use point of care ultrasound to aid their clinical diagnostic skills. The FAMUS committee was set up to develop competencies using the evidence base available. FAMUS stands in contrast to traditional radiology training modules, which focus on carrying out comprehensive assessments of anatomy and pathology. Instead, FAMUS delivers a syndrome-based sonographic assessment with the aim of ruling out gross pathology and interrogating underlying physiology. It serves as a useful adjunct to history and clinical examination by way of providing key information quickly and non-invasively. Furthermore, it provides a feasible way to monitor response to treatment or progression of disease and thereby providing useful dynamic information quickly and safely. The accreditation in FAMUS involves the sonographic assessment of three systems: lung, abdomen and the deep veins of the lower-limb. Accrediting in each one involves theoretical learning, a formal course attendance and achieving a set number of supervised and mentored scans. As well as technical skills, the candidate must demonstrate competence in recognising key pathology and drawing appropriate conclusions about each scan, including when to refer for departmental imaging. FAMUS was met with enthusiasm by trainees and consultants in acute medicine, and its popularity rises as more courses are becoming available for accreditation paired with increasing access to portable ultrasound units. It is envisioned that this will continue to grow and formal ‘train the trainer’ courses have been held in order to increase the pool of available supervisors. Currently, FAMUS is endorsed by the Society for Acute Medicine and recognised by the AIM training committee as a specialist skill that can be undertaken during specialist training. It has been proposed that FAMUS should be considered for integration into the acute internal medicine (AIM) curriculum, which will be re-written for 2022 in line with the GMC’s revised standards for curriculum and assessment. Thus we present in this letter, a curriculum mapping exercise that utilises a ‘knowledge, skills, behaviours’ framework in order to be considered for the AIM curriculum rewrite. We believe this will provide a standard and framework to integrate focused ultrasound in AIM training programmes with the aim of ultimately incorporating FAMUS as a core skill for all AIM trainees.

scholarly journals Focused Acute Medicine Ultrasound (FAMUS)

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 164-167
Author(s):  
Karim Fouad Alber ◽  
◽  
Martin Dachsel ◽  
Alastair Gilmore ◽  
Philip Lawrenson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Focused Ultrasound ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽  
Curriculum Mapping ◽  
Acute Medicine ◽  
Good Medical Practice ◽  
Steady Growth ◽  
Core Skill ◽  
Training Programmes ◽  
Mapping Exercise

Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) has seen steady growth in its use and applications in aiding clinicians in the management of acutely unwell patients. Focused Acute Medicine Ultrasound (FAMUS) is the standard created specifically for Acute Medicine physicians and is endorsed by the Society for Acute Medicine and recognised by the Acute Internal Medicine (AIM) training committee as a specialist skill. In this document we present a curriculum mapping exercise which utilises a ‘knowledge, skills and behaviours’ framework and incorporates the GMC’s ‘Good Medical Practice’ (GMP) domains. We believe this will provide a standard for consideration of integrating focused ultrasound in AIM training programmes, with the aim of ultimately incorporating FAMUS as a core skill for all AIM trainees.

Telemedicine-guided point-of-care ultrasound can be feasible and effective in a life-threatening situation: The case of a field hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tarso Accorsi ◽  
Karine De Amicis Lima ◽  
Alexandra Brigido ◽  
Deborah Belfort ◽  
Fabio Habrum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Point Of Care ◽  
Image Interpretation ◽  
Acquisition Time ◽  
Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽  
Field Hospital ◽  
Portable Ultrasound ◽  
Local Staff ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Threatening Situation

BACKGROUND Lightweight portable ultrasound is widely available, especially in inaccessible geographical areas. It demonstrates effectiveness and diagnosis improvement even in field conditions but no precise information about protocols, acquisition time, image interpretation, and the relevance in changing medical conduct exists. The COVID-19 pandemic implied many severe cases and the rapid construction of field hospitals with massive general practitioner (GP) recruitment. OBJECTIVE This prospective and descriptive study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of telemedicine guidance using a standardized multi-organ sonographic assessment protocol in untrained GPs during a COVID-19 emergency in a field hospital. METHODS Eleven COVID-19 in-patients presenting life-threatening complications, attended by local staff who spontaneously requested on-time teleconsultation, were enrolled. All untrained doctors successfully positioned the transducer and obtained key images guided by a remote doctor via telemedicine, with remote interpretation of the findings. RESULTS Only four (36%) general practitioners obtained the appropriate key heart image on the left parasternal long axis window, and three (27%) had an image interpreted remotely on-time. The evaluation time ranged from seven to 42 minutes, with a mean of 22.7 + 12. CONCLUSIONS Telemedicine is effective in guiding GPs to perform portable ultrasound in life-threatening situations, showing effectiveness in conducting decisions.

Response to Letter to the editor: Acute Medicine Journal

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-57
Author(s):  
Ben Chadwick ◽  
◽  
Nick Murch ◽  
Anika Wijewardane ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Internal Medicine ◽  
Acute Care ◽  
Working Group ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽  
Acute Medicine ◽  
Front Door ◽  
Medicine Journal ◽  
Wide Range

Editor- Thank you for giving us the opportunity to respond to the letter received regarding the Joint Royal College of Physicians Training Board (JRCPTB) curriculum for Acute Internal Medicine (AIM) that has previously been circulated for comment and consideration of implementation in August 2022. Dr Williamson is correct in asserting that the proposed curriculum hopes to produce doctors with generic professional and specialty specific capabilities needed to manage patients presenting with a wide range of medical symptoms and conditions. It does aim to produce a workforce that reflects the current trends of increasing patient attendances to both primary care and emergency departments- one that has a high level of diagnostic reasoning, the ability to manage uncertainty, deal with co-morbidities and recognise when specialty input is required in a variety of settings, including ambulatory and critical care. Contrary to the situation described in the correspondence, the new curriculum does not move away from each trainee being required to develop a specialist skill, such as medical education, management, stroke medicine or focused echocardiography. Trainees will still need to acquire competency in a specialist skill for their final 36 months of their training programme, usually after they have completed their Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) certification. The thinking behind introducing mandatory POCUS in the curriculum is that: POCUS is in the proposed curricula for intensive care medicine, respiratory medicine and emergency medicine, therefore we feel that in order to recruit the best trainees it is imperative POCUS training is offered as standard As evidenced by the trainee surveys, they often do not get allocated time to develop their specialist skill, especially in the early years of Higher Specialty Training before they often have decided on a particular skill. The introduction of mandatory POCUS training should legtimise time off the ward to obtain this skill early in training. POCUS is becoming more and more standardised in 21st Century acute care alongside the reducing costs of Ultrasound probe e.g. Philips Lumify and Butterfly iQ which are compatible with smart phones POCUS has been heralded as the fifth pillar of examination (observation, palpation, percussion, auscultation, insonation)1 The proposed curriculum therefore facilitates trainees to have regular dedicated time to develop interests inside or outside acute medicine to supplement their professional experience and training. This will also enable trainees to have time away from the ‘front door’ high intensity acute care. Mandatory POCUS will continue to set AIM training apart from other physician training programmes and continue to attract high quality trainees to apply to the specialty. Formal feedback seen at the SAC meeting in October 2019 to the draft curriculum (personal correspondence from JRCPTB) showed a positive response from nine individuals, an ambivalent one from two people, and only two against the introduction of formal POCUS training in the curriculum. Point of Care Ultrasound will likely be a welcome addition to the curriculum and will benefit patients, trainees and front door services up and down the country. Concerns regarding supervision are being addressed by the POCUS working group, in anticipation of the lead in period of well over two years. It is anticipated that most trainees can achieve POCUS sign off (e.g. Focused Acute Medical Ultrasound) in 6 to 12 months (personal correspondence Nick Smallwood from POCUS working group). With ongoing concerns regarding recruitment and retention in Acute Internal Medicine we agree strongly that with POCUS inclusion, we have a further selling point for AIM training.

scholarly journals Editorial Volume 19 Issue 1 – “Eternal Winter”: Acute Medicine the key to providing longer periods of summer

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-3
Author(s):  
Tim Cooksley ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Rate ◽  
Ambulatory Care ◽  
Acute Care ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽  
Point Of Care Testing ◽  
Acute Medicine ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Acute Care Services ◽  
The Impact

As another winter season passes, many colleagues will continue to be working under immense pressures striving to provide high quality care for increasingly larger numbers of patients. The work of Acute Medicine teams to keep the “front door” safe are fundamental to the delivery and sustainability of acute care services. The challenges of innovating and enacting positive changes at times of such high service demand are not insignificant; but the specialty is blessed with rapidly expanding driven and dedicated international, national and local leaders. The first winter SAMBA has recently been performed. SAMBA is an increasingly rich data source that will serve both nationally and locally to help improve performance and ultimately patient outcomes.1 Higher quality Acute Medicine is being produced. Acute Physicians are leading in many acute sub-specialties. Pleasingly, there has a been a significant rise in the number of trainees applying to train in Acute Medicine in the UK reflecting the traction the specialty is achieving. Ambulatory care remains a fundamental tenet to the sustainability of acute care services. Point of care testing is a key element in driving efficient performance in this setting and in this issue Verbakel et al. perform an important analysis on the reliability of point of care testing to support community based ambulatory care.2 This work should field the way for further research defining the impact of point of care testing and how it should be implemented in ambulatory clinical practice. The performance of respiratory rate observation remains poorly performed in acute care settings despite its well validated predictive value. Nakitende et al. describe an app that allows respiratory rate to calculated more quickly and accurately by using a touch screen method.3 Technological innovations to improve the recording and accuracy of physiological parameters in acute care, which can also be used in resource poor settings, will be a focus of large quantities of research in the upcoming years. Blessing et al. describe an important modelling study on the impact of integrated radiology units.4 Co-ordination between Acute Medicine and Radiology departments is essential in a high functioning AMU, especially as increasingly Acute Physicians are trained in point of care ultrasound. Lees-Deutsch et al. provide a fascinating insight into the patient’s perspective of discharge lounges.5 Often used to help maintain flow through the hospital, they elucidate that patients and caregivers transferred from AMU do not find this aspect of their journey a positive one. In times of significant organisational pressures, it is important that clinicians continue to examine the impact of flow measures on the quality of patient care and experience.

Training Requirements for Point of Care Ultrasound in Acute Medicine

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-90
Author(s):  
S M Ismaeel ◽  
◽  
N J Day ◽  
D Earnshaw ◽  
J W Lorains ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bile Duct ◽  
Common Bile Duct ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Radiology Department ◽  
Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽  
Acute Medicine ◽  
Training Requirements ◽  
The Mean ◽  
High Level

The aim of the study was to explore the ultrasound training requirements in acute medicine by comparing the ultrasound skill of an acute medicine trainee (AMT) with that of the radiology department following short ultrasound training. Results: 43 participants (34 males and 9 females).The mean age was 58 (range 20-93 years). Liver: AMT reported 15/17 as normal (Specificity 88%) and diagnosed ascites in 100% (NPV 93%). Gallbladder: There was 100% sensitivity and NPV for excluding gallstone. CBD: Sensitivity and specificity of 83 and 95% for dilated CBD (NPV 95%). Kidneys: AMT identified 100% of normal kidneys. Spleen: Splenomegaly diagnosed with 95% specifity and NPV. Conclusion: The AMT achieved a high level of accuracy in diagnosing and excluding gallstone, dilated CBD, ascites and splenomegaly. CBD = Common Bile Duct, NPV=Negative Predictive Value.

scholarly journals An overview of the first year Undergraduate Medical Students Feedback on the Point of Care Ultrasound Curriculum

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
First Year ◽  
Clinical Anatomy ◽  
Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Undergraduate Medical Students ◽  
Portable Ultrasound

With the technological progress of different types of portable Ultrasound machines, there is a growing demand by all health care providers to perform bedside Ultrasonography, also known as Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS). This technique is becoming extremely useful as part of the Clinical Skills/Anatomy teaching in the undergraduate Medical School Curriculum. Teaching/training health care providers how to use these portable Ultrasound machines can complement their physical examination findings and help in a more accurate diagnosis, which leads to a faster and better improvement in patient outcomes. In addition, using portable Ultrasound machines can add more safety measurements to every therapeutic/diagnostic procedure when it is done under an Ultrasound guide. It is also considered as an extra tool in teaching Clinical Anatomy to Medical students. Using an Ultrasound is one of the different imaging modalities that health care providers depend on to reach their diagnosis, while also being the least invasive method. We thought investing in training the undergraduate Medical students on the basic Ultrasound scanning skills as part of their first year curriculum will help build up the foundation for their future career

Letter to the editor: Acute Medicine Journal

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-56
Author(s):  
Adam Williamson ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Internal Medicine ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽  
Internal Medicine Training ◽  
Acute Medicine ◽  
Front Door ◽  
Medicine Journal ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Training Programmes

Editor- I note with interest that the Joint Royal College of Physicians Training Board curriculum for Acute Internal Medicine (AIM) has been reviewed and circulated for comment and consideration of implementation in August 2022. The proposed curriculum hopes to produce doctors with generic professional and specialty specific capabilities needed to manage patients presenting with a wide range of medical symptoms and conditions. It aims to produce a workforce that reflects the current trends of increasing patient attendances to bothprimary care and emergency departments- one that has a high level of diagnostic reasoning, the ability to manage uncertainty, deal with comorbidities and recognise when specialty input is require in a variety of settings, including ambulatory and critical care. The new curriculum moves away from each trainee being required to develop a specialist skill, such as medical education, echocardiography or endoscopy throughout their training1, to trainees acquiring competencies in a specialist theme for their final 24 to 30 months of their training programme after they have completed their Point of Care Ultrasound certification. The current curriculum allows trainees to have regular dedicated time to develop interests inside or outside acute medicine to supplement their professional experience and training. This often allows trainees time away from the ‘front door’, can be welcomed break from high intensity acute care and uniquely offers trainee physicians flexibility in their training programmes and curriculum requirements. This sets acute medicine training apart from other physician training programmes and can attract trainees to apply to the specialty. It also addresses Shape of Training recommendations, which suggest more flexibility and choice in career structure for postgraduate doctors.2 Point of Care Ultrasound will undoubtedly be a welcome addition to the curriculum and will benefit patients, trainees and front door services up and down the country.3 However, concerns regarding supervision and maintenance of competency exist.4 More importantly, time spent gaining competency in this before pursuing an interest in an additional area or procedure will offer trainees less time to attain accreditation in some of the existing specialist skills currently available. With ongoing concerns regarding recruitment and retention in Acute Internal Medicine5 we should be careful that we do not lose a unique selling point that acute internal medicine training offers.

Ultrasound application in point of care by palliative medicine physicians: Initial experience of oncology palliative medicine consultation in two rural area hospitals in Costa Rica.

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (31_suppl) ◽  
pp. 254-254
Author(s):  
Karol Villalobos
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Palliative Medicine ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Limited Resources ◽  
Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽  
Resource Limited Settings ◽  
Portable Ultrasound ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Point Of Care Ultrasonography

254 Background: Point of care Ultrasonography (POCUS)—that is ultrasonography performed and interpreted by the clinician at the bedside—is a method of clinical focused evaluation assisted by ultrasound equipment which gives the health provider in limited resources conditions, a prompt and accurate diagnosis for a limited number of pathologies. Development of portable ultrasound equipment with accessible technologies in terms of health investment, allows developing such practice in non-conventional resource-limited settings as patient homes. Our proposal is to show point of care ultrasonography (POCUS) experiences by two Palliative Care specialist doctors with in government-managed Social Security service (CCSS) in rural areas in Costa Rica. Methods: Limited diagnosis examinations were performed both at the hospital as well as at out of hospital sites in rural areas of Turrialba, and San Carlos, Costa Rica. Percutaneous procedures took place at the hospital following monitoring and aseptic standards, using two different units (Contec CMS600P2B, Phillips Clearvue 550). Results: Each brief case presented in this article shows effective Point of Care Ultrasound uses for patients with life-limiting conditions in resource-limited settings. Use of this technology by palliative medicine specialists in these cases helped patients and their families by accelerating right diagnosis, limiting unnecessary hospital transportation or by helping making safer procedures. Conclusions: Point of care ultrasound usage by palliative medicine specialists is an innovation breaking paradigms that has shown in our case to be a successful help as an evaluation strategy in a limited-resources rural environment, with a frail population.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Point-of-Care Ultrasound Integrated into Clinical Examination for Acute Diverticulitis: A Prospective Multicenter Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peiman Nazerian ◽  
Chiara Gigli ◽  
Emilia Donnarumma ◽  
Ersilia de Curtis ◽  
Andrea Bribani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ct Scan ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Acute Diverticulitis ◽  
Final Diagnosis ◽  
Complicated Diverticulitis ◽  
Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽  
Sonographic Assessment ◽  
The One ◽  
Low Sensitivity

Abstract Purpose Diverticulitis is a common cause of abdominal pain and CT scan is commonly used for its diagnosis in the emergency department (ED). The diagnostic performance of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) integrated into a clinical exam for diverticulitis is still not established. We evaluate the accuracy of clinical-sonographic assessment for the diagnosis of diverticulitis and whether POCUS could improve the selection of patients needing CT scan for complicated diverticulitis. Materials and Methods This is a multicentric observational study involving adult patients suspected of having diverticulitis presenting at 4 EDs. 21 sonographer physicians were asked to diagnose diverticulitis and complicated diverticulitis based on clinical-sonographic assessment. The final diagnosis was established by two reviewers, blinded to POCUS, based on data collected during the one-month follow-up comprehensive CT scan. Results Among 393 enrolled patients, 218 (55.5 %) were diagnosed with diverticulitis and 33 (8 %) had complicated diverticulitis. The time to diagnosis by the sonographer physicians was shorter compared to standard care (97 ± 102 vs. 330 ± 319 minutes, p < 0.001). Clinical-sonographic assessment showed optimal sensitivity (92.7 %) and specificity (90.9 %) for diverticulitis. However, the sensitivity (50 %) for complicated diverticulitis was low. The sonographer physician would have proceeded to CT scan in 194 (49.4 %) patients and the CT scan request compared to the final diagnosis of complicated diverticulitis demonstrated 94 % sensitivity. Conclusion Clinical-sonographic assessment is rapid and accurate for the diagnosis of diverticulitis. Even if POCUS has low sensitivity for complicated diverticulitis, it can be used to safely select patients needing CT.

scholarly journals Remote Real-Time Supervision of Prehospital Point-of-Care Ultrasound: A Feasibility Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Hermann ◽  
Christina Hafner ◽  
Vincenz Scharner ◽  
Mojca Hribersek ◽  
Mathias Maleczek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Data Transmission ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Power Saving ◽  
Emergency Ultrasound ◽  
Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽  
Portable Ultrasound ◽  
Emergency Situations ◽  
Prehospital Emergency ◽  
Video And Audio

Abstract Background: Although prehospital point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is gaining in importance, its rapid interpretation remains challenging in prehospital emergency situations. The technical development of remote real-time supervision potentially offers the possibility to support emergency medicine providers during prehospital emergency ultrasound. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of live data transmission and supervision of prehospital POCUS in an urban environment.Methods: Emergency doctors with moderate ultrasound experience performed prehospital POCUS in emergency cases (n=24) such as trauma, acute dyspnea or cardiac shock using the portable ultrasound device LumifyTM. The ultrasound examination was remotely transmitted to an emergency ultrasound expert in the clinic for real-time supervision via a secure video and audio connection. Technical feasibility as well as quality of communication and live stream were analysed.Results: Prehospital POCUS with remote real-time supervision was successfully performed in 17 patients (71%). In 3 cases, the expert was not available on time and in 1 case remote data transmission was not possible due to connection problems. In 3 cases tele-supervision was restricted to video only due to power saving mode of the tablet.Conclusion: Remote real-time supervision of prehospital POCUS is feasible most of the time with excellent image and communication quality. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials Number NCT04612816

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