Point-of-Care Ultrasound Training for Family Medicine Residents: Examining the outcomes and feasibility of a pilot ultrasound curriculum

Gordon Yao, Md (Ipr) Bsc,Taeyoung Peter Hong Md Cfpc,Brent Wolfrom, Md Ccfp,Philip Lee, Md Cfpc (Em),Joseph Newbigging, Md Ccfp (Em)

doi:10.24908/pocus.v4i2.13692

Gordon Yao, Md (Ipr) Bsc, Taeyoung Peter Hong Md Cfpc + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.24908/pocus.v4i2.13692

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Journal: POCUS Journal	Publication Date: Nov 14, 2019
Citations: 1	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: Queen's University

Abstract

It is estimated that 50% of deaths due to abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) could be prevented by a national screening program [1, 2, 3]. Thanks to technological advancements and cost reductions, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in family medicine (FM) is becoming more prevalent [4, 5]. Despite the potential utility of POCUS in FM, of 224 FM residency programs surveyed, only 21% had developed a curriculum [6]. The main barriers identified to establishing a FM POCUS curriculum in Canadian FM residency programs were lack of trained faculty, lack of adequate equipment and lack of time in the curriculum [6].

Highlights

It is estimated that 50% of deaths due to abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) could be prevented by a national screening program [1, 2, 3]
Competency: There was no significant difference in objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) scores between the two OSCEs, suggesting competency was retained after training for a minimum of four months
The pilot point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) curriculum had the same time commitment and ensured confidence, knowledge, and clinical competence that was retained at four months posttraining

Summary

Introduction

It is estimated that 50% of deaths due to abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) could be prevented by a national screening program [1, 2, 3]. Despite the potential utility of POCUS in FM, of 224 FM residency programs surveyed, only 21% had developed a curriculum [6]. The main barriers identified to establishing a FM POCUS curriculum in Canadian FM residency programs were lack of trained faculty, lack of adequate equipment and lack of time in the curriculum [6]. The first set of two residents were trained by Canadian POCUS (CPOCUS)-certified faculty members [7] during a week of evening clinics. These two residents subsequently trained the subset of two residents, tumbling forward over four weeks until eight residents were trained.

Methods

Results

Conclusion