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. 2024 Apr 23;50(1):82.
doi: 10.1186/s13052-024-01652-7.

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) pediatric resident training course: a cross-sectional survey

Manuela Lo Bianco  1 , Santiago Presti  2 , Maria Carla Finocchiaro  3 , Gian Luca Trobia  3 , Tiziana Virginia Sciacca  3 , Maria Elena Cucuzza  3 , Elia Caudullo  4 , Giacomo Calcara  5 , Martino Ruggieri #  6 , Vita Antonella Di Stefano #  3
Affiliations

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) pediatric resident training course: a cross-sectional survey

Manuela Lo Bianco et al. Ital J Pediatr. .

Abstract

Background: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is becoming increasingly crucial in the Pediatric Emergency Department for objective patient examination. However, despite its growing interest and wide-ranging applications, POCUS remains relatively unexplored in general pediatric training and education. Many physicians still find it challenging to comprehend and implement.

Methods: A theoretical-practical POCUS course for pediatric residents was conducted at the University of Catania, Italy. The course's effectiveness and practical impact on residents was assessed through a pre-post training survey. The first part of the questionnaire focused on the self-perceived time needed to learn how to recognize the following conditions using POCUS: (i) Pleural effusion (ii) Lung consolidation (iii) Pneumothorax (PNX) (iv) Cardiac contractility (v) Pericardial effusion (vi) Perisplenic effusion (vii) Morison's pouch effusion (viii) Douglas' pouch effusion (ix) Filling and collapsibility of the inferior vena cava. In the second part, we compared the potential role of POCUS in (i) Reducing the use of ionizing radiation in children (ii) Increasing the sense of security in diagnosis and treatment decisions making and (iii) Increasing the residents' confidence level with POCUS after the course on a 1-to-10 rating scale.

Results: Seventy-two residents participated in the study. The statistical analysis showed significant pre-post differences in almost all the items considered, except for "cardiac contractility" and "PNX". Furthermore, the perceived potential role of POCUS in reducing ionizing radiation usage and the sense of security in diagnosis and treatment decisions showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) before and after the course. Data analysis also revealed a consistently high confidence level with POCUS after the course.

Conclusions: The results highlight the importance of including a POCUS track course in pediatric post-graduate programs due to its simplicity, rapid learning time, and clinical usefulness. Based on these findings, it would be recommended to increase the teaching hours dedicated to the recognition of pneumothorax and cardiology POCUS examination. Emphasizing POCUS training in pediatric education can enhance patient care and diagnostic accuracy while minimizing radiation exposure.

Keywords: POCUS; Pediatric residents; Survey; Training course; Ultrasound.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The figure illustrates the training self-assessment survey items, which have been based on the course curriculum
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Statistically significant pre-post differences in perceived learning hours for point-of-care ultrasound skills: a survey-based analysis
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Statistically significant pre-post differences in perceived benefit for reducing ionizing radiation usage in children, increased sense of security in diagnosis and treatment decisions-making and increased residents’ confidence level with POCUS, using a 1-to-10 rating scale with 1 indicating “not at all” and 10 indicating “extremely confident “
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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