Positive physician perceptions of structured lung ultrasound (LUS) training in interstitial lung disease (ILD): a...

Current guidelines recommend structured training in lung ultrasound (LUS) for interstitial lung disease (ILD). Therefore, this exploratory study evaluated physician perceptions, perceived educational value, and self-reported applicability of a structured LUS workshop involving patients with ILD. A six-hour LUS workshop combining didactic lectures with supervised hands-on training on ILD patients was conducted for a group of actively practicing rheumatologists and pulmonologists. Workshop evaluation was performed using an anonymous questionnaire capturing participants' demographics and pre-course LUS practice, course satisfaction, and perceived barriers to using LUS routinely in ILD care. Ten physicians, predominantly experienced rheumatologists with regular exposure to ILD patients, attended the workshop. Pre-course LUS was infrequent, with only one participant reporting regular use. Following the workshop, all participants reported perceived improvement in LUS knowledge and increased self-confidence in recognizing typical sonographic features of ILD. The workshop was universally rated as clinically relevant, and nine of ten attendees expressed intention to integrate LUS into their clinical practice. Lack of experience and time constraints were identified as main perceived barriers, whereas standardized protocols and focused training were viewed as important facilitators for clinical adoption of LUS in ILD. This exploratory study suggests that a concise, structured LUS workshop involving patients with ILD was perceived as clinically relevant and educationally valuable by participating physicians.