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. 2019 Jun;38(6):1433-1439.
doi: 10.1002/jum.14821. Epub 2018 Sep 26.

Prevalence and Scope of Point-of-Care Ultrasound Education in Internal Medicine, Pediatric, and Medicine-Pediatric Residency Programs in the United States

Michael Reaume  1 , Matthew Siuba  2 , Michael Wagner  3 , Alyssa Woodwyk  4 , Thomas A Melgar  5
Affiliations

Prevalence and Scope of Point-of-Care Ultrasound Education in Internal Medicine, Pediatric, and Medicine-Pediatric Residency Programs in the United States

Michael Reaume et al. J Ultrasound Med. 2019 Jun.

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and scope of point-of-care ultrasound (US) education in internal medicine, pediatric, and medicine-pediatric residency programs nationwide.

Methods: Program directors were surveyed between January and June 2016 with a 15-item online questionnaire to assess the state of point-of-care US training in their programs. The survey aimed to identify whether programs had an established point-of-care US curriculum and, if not, what reasons may have existed for a lack of point-of-care US training in their programs.

Results: The survey was distributed to 685 program directors, and the response rate was 19.2%. Only 31.5% of respondents reported having a formal point-of-care US curriculum in their program, and in 12.4% of programs, there was no US training at all. The presence of point-of-care US training as reported by internal medicine (n = 64) and medicine-pediatric (n = 24) respondents showed formal point-of-care US curriculum rates of 37.5% and 43.5%, respectively. Pediatric programs (n = 24) reported limited point-of-care US training, with formal curriculum in only 12.4% of programs and 27.3% having no point-of-care US training at all. The most common reasons for lack of a point-of-care US curriculum among program directors were lack of trained faculty/instructors (70.4%), lack of guidelines/standards by governing societies (44.4%), and lack of the necessary technology (33.3%).

Conclusions: Less than half of residents with internal medicine training will have trained at a program with a point-of-care US curriculum, and point-of-care US training in pediatrics is even more limited. The major reason for the lack of point-of-care US education is a lack of trained faculty or instructors.

Keywords: internal medicine; pediatrics; point-of-care ultrasound; residency training; ultrasound; ultrasound education.

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