Training of Non-expert Users Using Remotely Delivered, Point-of-Care Tele-Ultrasound: A Proof-of-Concept Study in 2...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Point-of-Care Ultrasound
• Telemedicine

Background:

• Physicians in remote areas often lack access to point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) training.
• Developing POCUS skills is crucial for timely diagnosis and treatment, especially in underserved regions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify skill improvement in POCUS among physicians after a virtual training program.
• To assess the effectiveness of real-time, remotely delivered tele-ultrasound (tele-POCUS) for POCUS education and feedback.

Main Methods:

• A 3-week pretest-posttest study involving ten physicians from urban and remote centers.
• Participants completed e-learning, practiced image acquisition, and received expert-guided tele-POCUS consultations.
• Skill assessments (image acquisition, quality, interpretation) were conducted pre- and post-training using a 5-point Likert scale for cardiac and lung/pleura POCUS.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements were observed in image quality across all POCUS applications following tele-POCUS mentorship (P < 0.01).
• Cardiac POCUS skills showed significant gains in acquisition (2.69-4.33), quality (2.40-4.03), and interpretation (2.50-4.40).
• Lung/pleura POCUS skills demonstrated significant improvements in acquisition (3.00-4.43), quality (3.23-4.37), and interpretation (3.00-4.40).

Conclusions:

• Introductory POCUS can be effectively taught to novice users via a virtual, live-streamed tele-POCUS training format.
• This remote training method leads to significant enhancements in physician imaging skills.
• Tele-POCUS offers a viable solution for POCUS skill development in geographically diverse settings.