Pediatric ultrasound practice in Italy: an exploratory survey

The aim of this exploratory survey is to describe the current state of US (ultrasound) technique across different pediatric settings nationwide.

A questionnaire was emailed to all members of the Italian Society of Pediatrics, including pediatric residents. The survey was open from December 2021 to March 2022.

There were 1098 respondents. Seven hundred and seven pediatricians (84.1%) reported any use of US, while 51 (44.3%) residents denied it. The majority of participants (n = 956, 87.1%) reported to have a US machine available within the department, mostly cart-based (n = 516, 66.9%) and provided from 1 to 5 years prior to the survey (n = 330, 42.8%). Lung and neonatal cerebral regions were the most frequently scanned (n = 289, 18.7% and n = 218, 14.1%, respectively). The suspicion of pneumonia or respiratory distress represented the main reasons for performing US in emergency room (n = 390, 78% and n = 330, 66%, respectively). The majority of family pediatricians reported to scan lung and kidney/urinary tract regions (n = 30, 16.9%, and n = 23,12.9%, respectively). Regarding US training, the majority of respondents (n = 358, 34.6%) declared an experience-based education, with a deficient certification enabling the use of US in 71.6% (n = 552) of cases. The most common barriers included the lack of a well-defined training program (n = 627, 57.1%), unavailability of the US machine (n = 196, 17.9%) and legal responsibility concern (n = 175, 15.9%).

Despite the growing interest on pediatric US nationally, significant barriers still limit widespread adoption. These obstacles may be addressed through the dissemination of a specific US education plan and providing additional resources.