Training Nonexpert Users in Cardiopulmonary Point-of-Care Ultrasound Using a Virtual Curriculum and a...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS)
• Telemedicine

Background:

• Limited access to postgraduate cardiopulmonary point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) training hinders adoption by non-specialists in remote areas.
• This study addresses disparities in POCUS training access for healthcare providers in geographically diverse Canadian settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a longitudinal, virtual POCUS training program on skill improvement.
• To assess skill enhancement in image acquisition, quality, and interpretation for cardiac and lung/pleura POCUS.
• To determine the impact of tele-ultrasound (tele-POCUS) guidance on learner proficiency.

Main Methods:

• A multicentre pre-post study involving nonexpert POCUS users from urban and remote Canadian healthcare facilities.
• A 3-week virtual program including e-learning, independent practice, and expert tele-POCUS consultations during clinical encounters.
• Standardized assessments measured skill improvements in cardiac and lung/pleura POCUS using a 5-point Likert scale.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements were observed in cardiac POCUS image acquisition (3.02 to 4.48), quality (2.49 to 4.06), and interpretation (3.03 to 4.44) (all P < 0.01).
• Lung/pleura POCUS skills also showed significant gains: acquisition (3.27 to 4.63), quality (3.25 to 4.53), and interpretation (3.35 to 4.65) (all P < 0.01).
• Remote guidance via tele-POCUS further enhanced image acquisition skills (all P < 0.01), with similar outcomes across different geographic settings.

Conclusions:

• Cardiopulmonary POCUS can be effectively taught to learners in varied geographic locations through a virtual training format.
• The integration of tele-POCUS is a viable strategy to support and improve POCUS skill acquisition in diverse clinical environments.