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Establishing Point-of-Care Ultrasound General Competencies: A Consensus-Based Delphi Process in Family Medicine
Hiten Patel1, Natalie Nguyen2, Puja Dalal3
1Department of Family and Community Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
Family Medicine
|August 3, 2026
Summary
This Delphi study established 45 general competencies for point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in family medicine residency. These expert-validated POCUS skills will guide teaching and assessment for residents.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS)
- Family Medicine Residency Training
Background:
- Incorporating point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) into family medicine residency programs presents challenges in effective teaching and assessment.
- Defining standardized POCUS competencies is crucial for resident education.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish expert consensus on general competencies for point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in family medicine residents.
- To provide a framework for POCUS education and assessment in family medicine.
Main Methods:
- A traditional Delphi study design was employed with 25 family medicine POCUS education experts.
- Three rounds of voting using a 5-point Likert scale were conducted between February and July 2025.
- Competencies were aligned with the six Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) milestones.
Main Results:
- Initially, 49 general competencies were drafted, with three additional competencies added during the study.
- After three rounds, 45 general competencies achieved positive consensus.
- Seven competencies did not reach consensus and were excluded from the final list.
Conclusions:
- This study successfully established the first set of POCUS general competencies for family medicine residents using Delphi methodology.
- The identified competencies cover a broad range of skills aligned with ACGME milestones.
- This work provides a foundation for future research on assessing POCUS competence in family medicine.
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