A Standardized Teaching and Competency Evaluation Tool for Venous Excess Ultrasound: Modified Delphi and Angoff...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Point-of-Care Ultrasound
• Vascular Ultrasound

Background:

• Physical examination for central venous pressure lacks standardization.
• Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) offers a more reliable method for assessing venous congestion.
• Venous excess ultrasound (VExUS) is a novel technique for evaluating abdominal venous congestion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a consensus-based educational tool for assessing VExUS competency.
• To establish standardized criteria for VExUS skill evaluation.

Main Methods:

• Modified Delphi method involving 15 international VExUS experts over four rounds.
• Consensus defined as ≥80% agreement; items without consensus were excluded.
• Modified Angoff method used to determine passing scores and critical items.

Main Results:

• Consensus was reached on a 35-item educational tool (31 original + 4 new items).
• A passing score was set at 76% (80/105 points).
• Ten critical items were identified within the tool.

Conclusions:

• A 35-item educational tool for VExUS competency assessment was successfully developed.
• The tool includes ten critical items and a passing score of 76%.
• This standardized tool can improve the assessment of trainee competency in VExUS.