Web-Based Deliberate Practice of Pediatric Point-of-Care Ultrasound Cases in Resource-Limited Settings: A Multicenter...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS)
• Global Health

Background:

• Low-resource medical settings face challenges in providing specialized pediatric training.
• Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a valuable diagnostic tool in pediatrics.
• Effective training strategies are crucial for POCUS implementation in resource-limited environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate an online pediatric POCUS case-based course.
• To assess learning outcomes and feasibility in low-resource settings.
• To improve diagnostic accuracy in pediatric POCUS applications.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter prospective cohort study involving clinicians from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) training sites.
• Supplementation of hands-on POCUS training with a web-based course.
• Participants practiced diagnosing 400 image-based pediatric POCUS cases to achieve mastery learning (90% accuracy, sensitivity, specificity).

Main Results:

• 110 clinicians from 10 sites showed significant learning gains in accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity.
• 81.8% of clinicians achieved mastery learning in at least one POCUS application.
• While 89.2% found the course relevant and well-designed, 53.6% lacked protected time and 49.0% faced internet/hardware access issues.

Conclusions:

• Web-based POCUS case practice is effective for improving diagnostic skills in resource-limited settings.
• The online course demonstrated successful learning outcomes for pediatric POCUS.
• Technical challenges like limited internet access and protected time need to be addressed for wider implementation.