Point-of-Care Ultrasound Track in an Academic Family Medicine Department

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is increasingly being employed in family medicine. Residency tracks can be an effective way to increase mastery in a specific subdiscipline for interested residents, but no studies exist on the implementation of a POCUS track in family medicine. We address this gap in the literature by assessing POCUS use by POCUS track residents compared to non-POCUS track residents and faculty in an academic family medicine department.

We performed a retrospective review of all POCUS scans completed in the first year after implementation of a family medicine residency POCUS track. Scans were analyzed by two reviewers. We compared scan volume and type between POCUS track residents, non-POCUS track residents, and faculty. A blinded quality analysis was performed on each group of scans.

A total of 572 scans were completed on 536 patients over 1 year. POCUS track residents scanned significantly more than non-POCUS track residents (mean difference of 72.2, CI 59.1 to 85.4; P<.0001). The most common scan types across groups were musculoskeletal and soft tissue. POCUS track residents showed statistically improved scan quality in all scan types, while non-POCUS track residents showed statistical improvement only in soft tissue, shoulder, and abdominal aortic aneurysm scans.

This is the first longitudinal study of a novel academic family medicine residency POCUS track. Participation in a POCUS track can increase the number, variety, and quality of scans performed. Our curriculum can be a model for family medicine residency programs that wish to provide robust POCUS training.