General practitioners' scanning competence following tailored ultrasound training: a hybrid...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Diagnostic Imaging
• Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS)

Background:

• Ultrasound proficiency requires integrated skills and continuous practice.
• Office-based general practitioners (GPs) face unique challenges in acquiring and maintaining POCUS skills.
• Traditional training methods are often insufficient for GPs' learning needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a novel, tailored educational program for office-based GPs.
• To determine if the program leads to scanning competence upon completion.
• To assess if this competence can be sustained post-training.

Main Methods:

• A three-month ultrasound educational program was implemented for Danish office-based GPs.
• Scanning competence was assessed by external experts using the objective structured assessment of ultrasounds skills (OSAUS) tool.
• Competence was evaluated at the end of the program and three months later; implementation data were also collected.

Main Results:

• Post-program competence scores ranged from 68.9% to 82.3%, varying by POCUS application.
• Scores significantly increased at follow-up, ranging from 80.9% to 92.6%.
• All participants implemented POCUS in daily practice, despite varied completion of educational elements.

Conclusions:

• A customized training program can effectively equip office-based GPs with POCUS scanning proficiency.
• Scanning competence continues to develop and improve in the months after completing the tailored training.
• This approach addresses the specific learning needs and challenges of GPs in POCUS education.