The core content of clinical ultrasonography fellowship training

Relative Value of Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Person Specification of UK Consultant Job Advertisements Across Multiple Acute Specialties

Background Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) skills are very useful in the management of acute patients. It is unknown how highly valued they are at the consultant level. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of POCUS skills being listed as essential or desirable in consultant job advertisements for acute medicine (AM), intensive care medicine (ICM), and emergency medicine (EM) in the United Kingdom (UK). Methods We investigated the frequency with which POCUS skills are listed in person specification of consultant jobs advertised in the UK in three acute specialties (AM, ICM, and EM). Data were collected prospectively between May and June 2022 from the NHS Jobs website. Results A total of 286 jobs were identified, and 11 jobs (3.85%) listed POCUS skills as either essential or desirable. In AM consultant jobs, only two (1.83%) categorized POCUS as desirable or essential compared to five (11.6%) in ICM and four (3%) in EM. Conclusion POCUS skills are mentioned in the person specification in a minority of consultant job advertisements in acute specialties and currently do not seem to be widely viewed as essential or desirable for consultant practice in these specialties. It may be due to not many consultants are currently trained for this new skill, which in turn has led to the scarcity of the skill set demanded by the employing trusts in the UK.

The 2023 Core Content of advanced emergency medicine ultrasonography

In February 2023, the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) approved modifications to the Advanced Emergency Medicine Ultrasonography (AEMUS) Core Content, which defines the areas of knowledge considered essential for the practice of AEMUS. This manuscript serves as a revision of the AEMUS Core Content originally published in 2014. The revision of the Core Content for AEMUS training aims to establish standardized education and qualifications necessary for AEMUS fellowship program leadership, clinical application, administration, quality improvement, and research. The Core Content provides the organizational framework and serves as the basis for the development of content for the Focused Practice Examination (FPE) administered by ABEM. AEMUS fellowship directors may reference the Core Content when designing AEMUS fellowship curricula to help prepare graduates for the autonomous practice of AEMUS and the FPE. In this article, an updated revision of the previously published AEMUS Core Content is detailed, and the entire development of the Core Content is presented.

Deep Learning for FAST Quality Assessment

OBJECTIVES

To determine the feasibility of using a deep learning (DL) algorithm to assess the quality of focused assessment with sonography in trauma (FAST) exams.

METHODS

Our dataset consists of 441 FAST exams, classified as good-quality or poor-quality, with 3161 videos. We first used convolutional neural networks (CNNs), pretrained on the Imagenet dataset and fine-tuned on the FAST dataset. Second, we trained a CNN autoencoder to compress FAST images, with a 20-1 compression ratio. The compressed codes were input to a two-layer classifier network. To train the networks, each video was labeled with the quality of the exam, and the frames were labeled with the quality of the video. For inference, a video was classified as poor-quality if half the frames were classified as poor-quality by the network, and an exam was classified as poor-quality if half the videos were classified as poor-quality.

RESULTS

The results with the encoder-classifier networks were much better than the transfer learning results with CNNs. This was primarily because the Imagenet dataset is not a good match for the ultrasound quality assessment problem. The DL models produced video sensitivities and specificities of 99% and 98% on held-out test sets.

CONCLUSIONS

Using an autoencoder to compress FAST images is a very effective way to obtain features that can be used to predict exam quality. These features are more suitable than those obtained from CNNs pretrained on Imagenet.

Creation of a novel course for the advanced emergency medicine ultrasound focused practice designation examination

Introduction

The American Board of Emergency Medicine recently established a new certification pathway in advanced emergency medicine ultrasound (AEMUS). Eligible applicants come from a wide range of experience but must pass the same examination to become certified. This study sought to evaluate a novel review course targeting a wide range of learners for a new examination.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study evaluating the outcomes of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) AEMUS review course. The program evaluation survey was designed to collect outcomes across multiple Kirkpatrick levels, including overall satisfaction, topic-specific satisfaction, topic-specific coverage, topic-specific confidence before and after the course, topic-specific perceived knowledge before and after the course, and changes in practice.

Results

Seventy-four of 79 participants (93.7%) completed the survey. Mean course satisfaction was 4.59/5.00 (95% CI 4.47-4.72). Confidence to pass examination components increased for the following topics: administration, advanced left ventricle (LV), education, head and neck, hepatobiliary, male genitourinary, musculoskeletal, nonobstetric gynecology, pediatrics, physics, procedures, research, right ventricle, and venous/arterial. Perceived knowledge increased for the following topics: administration, advanced LV, education, head and neck, male genitourinary, musculoskeletal, pediatrics, physics, procedures, renal/bladder, research, right ventricle, and venous/arterial. Fifty-three of 74 participants (71.6%) stated they would change their practice based on the course. Examples of changes in practice include increased use of ultrasound for advanced abdominal, musculoskeletal, pediatric, and procedural applications. Future work will determine the impact on longer-term outcomes and focused practice designation (FPD) examination pass rates.

Conclusion

The ACEP AEMUS FPD review course demonstrated high levels of satisfaction, increased participant confidence, increased perceived knowledge, and several self-reported changes in participants' ultrasound practice.

Building and Maintaining an Ultrasound Program: It Takes a Village

Building and maintaining a successful point-of-care ultrasound program is a complex process that involves establishing an ecosystem between three unique but overlapping domains: ultrasound equipment, ultrasound users, and the health care system. By highlighting the different areas of focus and each of the key stakeholders and components, a group can ensure adequate attention is paid to all aspects of point-of-care ultrasound program development in nephrology.

Core Content for Pediatric Emergency Medicine Ultrasound Fellowship Training: A Modified Delphi Consensus Study

BACKGROUND

Pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) fellowships exist to provide learners with expertise in ultrasound (US) education, administration, and research oversight. Currently, there are no standardized goals or objectives for these programs, resulting in considerable variability in PEM POCUS fellowship training.

METHODS

A modified Delphi survey of PEM and general emergency medicine (EM) POCUS experts in Canada and the United States was conducted to obtain consensus regarding the most important curricular components of a PEM POCUS fellowship training program. Participants were solicited from the P2 Network mailing list and from PEM and EM POCUS fellowship directors listed on the Society of Clinical Ultrasound Fellowships and the Canadian Society of POCUS-EM Fellowships websites. Curricular components considered as part of the survey included US skills, educational skills, administrative skills, and research requirements. Consensus was considered to have been reached when ≥80% of respondents agreed to either include or exclude the component in fellowship training.

RESULTS

Round 1 of the survey was sent to 311 participants. A total of 118 (37.9%) completed eligibility for the survey, and 92 (78.0%) met eligibility criteria. Of those, 80 (67.8% of eligible participants) completed the first round of the survey. Round 2 of the survey was sent to those who completed part 1, and 64 (80.0%) completed that round. During Round 1, consensus was achieved for 15 of 75 US applications, seven of seven educational skills, nine of 11 administrative skills, and four of six research requirements. In Round 2 of the survey, consensus was reached on two additional US skills, but no additional administrative skills or research requirements.

CONCLUSIONS

With a consensus-building process, the core content for PEM POCUS fellowship training was defined. This can help POCUS educators formulate standardized curricula to create consistent training in POCUS fellowship graduates.

Pratique de l’échographie clinique au sein d’un réseau territorial d’urgence

Objectif : L’échographie clinique en médecine d’urgence (ECMU) est un outil essentiel de notre pratique. L’objectif principal de notre étude était d’évaluer les caractéristiques des médecins pratiquant l’ECMU au sein de notre territoire. L’objectif secondaire était d’analyser les facteurs influençant une pratique régulière.

Matériel et méthodes : Étude descriptive multicentrique et déclarative, réalisée auprès de médecins urgentistes travaillant au sein d’un réseau territorial de médecine d’urgence à l’aide d’un questionnaire en ligne.

Résultats : Cent onze questionnaires sur 120 envoyés ont été renseignés (92 %). Onze services (92 %) étaient dotés en échographe dont neuf (82 %) en dotation propre. Soixantesix médecins (59 %) déclaraient pratiquer l’échographie régulièrement. La FAST (focused assessment with sonography for traumas) était la plus pratiquée (80 médecins, 72 %), suivie de l’exploration hémodynamique (50 médecins, 45 %) et pleurale (44 médecins, 40 %). Dans le groupe des médecins ne pratiquant pas l’ECMU, 17 médecins sur 22 (77 %) l’expliquaient par un manque de formation. Dans le même temps, l’intérêt porté à l’ECMU par les urgentistes était coté à 7 ± 2 sur une échelle de 0 à 9. Les facteurs associés à la fréquence de la pratique de l’ECMU étaient le sexe (p < 0,001), le type d’activité (p = 0,005), le type de formation à l’échographie (p < 0,001) et l’ancienneté d’équipement de son service en échographe (p < 0,001).

Conclusion : Cette enquête a montré que la pratique régulière était majoritaire avec un intérêt porté par les praticiens à l’ECMU élevé. Cependant, le frein principal à son développement était un niveau de formation jugé insuffisant par certains praticiens.

Challenges and Variations in Emergency Medicine Residency Training of Ultrasound-guided Regional Anesthesia Techniques

BACKGROUND

Ultrasound guidance has become an integral component to procedural and diagnostic practice for the emergency physician. Whereas landmark-guided methods were used for peripheral nerve blocks in the past, the use of ultrasound has made regional anesthesia procedures faster, more successful, and feasible as a pain management modality in the emergency department. Not only the utilization, but also the teaching of ultrasound has become an essential aspect of emergency medicine residency training. Prior studies have found a substantial variation in practice and policies with regard to ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia (UGRA) and this translates to the education of both residents and fellows.

OBJECTIVES

The objective was to describe the current state of UGRA education, trends, and barriers in emergency medicine residency and ultrasound fellowship programs in the United States.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted via the Internet utilizing the Qualtrics software platform. It was distributed to ultrasound directors and program directors of both Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and American Osteopathic Association (AOA) accredited emergency medicine residency programs and ultrasound fellowships. Data analysis, cross-tabulation, and subgroup analysis were performed utilizing the software.

RESULTS

We received a total of 138 responses (response rate of 66.3%). There was substantial variability with regard to implementing UGRA education. Additionally, there was a trend correlating a greater likelihood of UGRA education among programs with more than two ultrasound faculty members. Faculty training is considered to be the greatest barrier to teaching UGRA to residents and fellows.

CONCLUSION

Resident and fellow education with regard to UGRA varies significantly among individual programs. Although there are currently no ACGME or AOA guidelines, nearly all residency programs believe that this is a skill that emergency physicians should learn. With the identification of key barriers and the need for an increased number of trained faculty, pain management utilizing UGRA may become an integral part to emergency medicine resident and fellow education.

Goal-directed Focused Ultrasound Milestones Revised: A Multiorganizational Consensus

In 2012 the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the American Board of Emergency Medicine released the emergency medicine milestones. The Patient Care 12 (PC12) subcompetency delineates staged and progressive accomplishment in emergency ultrasound. While valuable as an initial framework for ultrasound resident education, there are limitations to PC12. This consensus paper provides a revised description of criteria to define the subcompetency. A multiorganizational task force was formed between the American College of Emergency Physicians Ultrasound Section, the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors, and the Academy of Emergency Ultrasound of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. Representatives from each organization created this consensus document and revision.

Medical Student Core Clinical Ultrasound Milestones: A Consensus Among Directors in the United States

OBJECTIVES

Many medical schools are implementing point-of-care ultrasound in their curricula to help augment teaching of the physical examination, anatomy, and ultimately clinical management. However, point-of-care ultrasound milestones for medical students remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to formulate a consensus on core medical student clinical point-of-care ultrasound milestones across allopathic and osteopathic medical schools in the United States. Directors who are leading the integration of ultrasound in medical education (USMED) at their respective institutions were surveyed.

METHODS

An initial list of 205 potential clinical ultrasound milestones was developed through a literature review. An expert panel consisting of 34 USMED directors across the United States was used to produce consensus on clinical ultrasound milestones through 2 rounds of a modified Delphi technique, an established anonymous process to obtain consensus through multiple rounds of quantitative questionnaires.

RESULTS

There was a 100% response rate from the 34 USMED directors in both rounds 1 and 2 of the modified Delphi protocol. After the first round, 2 milestones were revised to improve clarity, and 9 were added on the basis of comments from the USMED directors, resulting in 214 milestones forwarded to round 2. After the second round, only 90 milestones were found to have a high level of agreement and were included in the final medical student core clinical ultrasound milestones.

CONCLUSIONS

This study established 90 core clinical milestones that all graduating medical students should obtain before graduation, based on consensus from 34 USMED directors. These core milestones can serve as a guide for curriculum deans who are initiating ultrasound curricula at their institutions. The exact method of implementation and competency assessment needs further investigation.

Integration of Ultrasound in Undergraduate Medical Education at the California Medical Schools: A Discussion of Common Challenges and Strategies From the UMeCali Experience

Since the first medical student ultrasound electives became available more than a decade ago, ultrasound in undergraduate medical education has gained increasing popularity. More than a dozen medical schools have fully integrated ultrasound education in their curricula, with several dozen more institutions planning to follow suit. Starting in June 2012, a working group of emergency ultrasound faculty at the California medical schools began to meet to discuss barriers as well as innovative approaches to implementing ultrasound education in undergraduate medical education. It became clear that an ongoing collaborative could be formed to discuss barriers, exchange ideas, and lend support for this initiative. The group, termed Ultrasound in Medical Education, California (UMeCali), was formed with 2 main goals: to exchange ideas and resources in facilitating ultrasound education and to develop a white paper to discuss our experiences. Five common themes integral to successful ultrasound education in undergraduate medical education are discussed in this article: (1) initiating an ultrasound education program; (2) the role of medical student involvement; (3) integration of ultrasound in the preclinical years; (4) developing longitudinal ultrasound education; and (5) addressing competency.

Evaluation of a novel simulation method of teaching B-lines: hand ultrasound with a wet foam dressing material

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching A- and B-lines, and lung sliding with a novel simulation methods using hand ultrasound.

METHODS

All subjects enrolled were medical school students who were novices in lung ultrasound. All subjects attended a 20-minute lecture about lung ultrasound using simulated video clips of A-lines, B-lines, and lung sliding; and then a 20-minute post-test was administered. The post-test included questions on the presence or absence of A-lines, B-lines, and lung sliding using a random mixture of 20 real video clips and 20 simulated video clips created by using hand ultrasound with or without foam dressing materials. A Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare the scores of A-lines, B-lines, and lung sliding between the real images (RG) and simulated models (SG).

RESULTS

There was a statistically significant difference in the median score of the correct answers for A-lines (RG, 18; SG, 17; P=0.037). Correct answers for B-line were significantly different between RG and SG group (RG, 18; SG, 17; P=0.008). There was a statistically significant difference in the median score of the correct answers for lung sliding (RG, 16; SG, 18; P<0.001).

CONCLUSION

We found this novel B-line teaching model by using a hand ultrasound with a wet foam dressing material is effective for beginners who are less experienced with lung ultrasound and pulmonary interstitial syndrome.