Co-designed point-of-care ultrasound program development and implementation at a Veterans Affairs emergency...

Integrating point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) into patient care requires a multifaceted culture change using a multi-pronged approach. A standardized implementation method is lacking for POCUS program sustainability. We developed a standardized training curriculum and clinical POCUS documentation, archival, and image review process at a single Veterans Affairs Emergency Department (ED). We hypothesized that co-designed development and implementation of the multifaceted POCUS intervention would maximize ED provider uptake and sustainability. Using Participatory Action Research (PAR) and adapted Experience-Based Co-design (EBCD) methods, stakeholders collaboratively co-designed our POCUS intervention to optimize implementation. Using the PRODUCES framework, 12 stakeholder participants (co-creators including study researchers, ultrasound faculty, ED leadership, and ED providers (POCUS end-users)) met in four monthly co-design meetings from July to October 2021 to brainstorm, discuss, refine, and finalize the POCUS intervention and implementation plan. Throughout the co-design process, stakeholders reviewed findings from prior meetings, reflected on successes and failures, and held open discussions on refining and finalizing the proposed POCUS educational and clinical program. By involving stakeholders as co-creators throughout the co-design process, we maximized end-user POCUS enthusiasm, program uptake, and sustained use. This simple, streamlined, and generalizable user-centered co-design method serves as a framework for future POCUS implementation and dissemination plans.