Training Anesthesia Providers in Gastric Ultrasound Assessment: An Integrative Review

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is an inexpensive and often readily available tool for anesthesia providers to utilize to assess gastric content, both qualitatively and quantitatively, in the perioperative arena. Gastric POCUS requires the anesthesia provider to be trained and proficient in technique and interpretation of findings to accurately guide decision-making for patient care. The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, and the American Society of Regional Anesthesia have established guidelines supporting the use of gastric POCUS. This article aims to provide an integrative review of the literature surrounding current strategies in education and assessment of anesthesia provider competency in the perioperative utilization of gastric POCUS. Strict inclusion and exclusion criteria were used yielding eight articles in an effort to help determine feasible, efficient, reliable, and beneficial educational strategies to improve anesthesia provider competency. Findings suggest success with various educational strategies, including didactic, hands-on, electronic, and self-directed courses on gastric POCUS, supported by improved postintervention analyses of provider competency.