A Systematic Needs Assessment for Point of Care Ultrasound in Internal Medicine Residency Training Programs

Abstract

Background: Point of Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) is an ultrasound examination performed by the clinician to answer a question or guide a procedure. Few Internal Medicine (IM) programs teach a formal PoCUS curriculum.  The objective of this study is to conduct a systematic needs assessment for the introduction of a PoCUS curriculum to an IM program.Methods: A survey was distributed to all IM staff and residents.  Participants rated their comfort, training, and use of PoCUS.   Descriptive statistics were calculated using SPSS software.Results: Participants self-identified as “neutral” on comfort for using PoCUS for diagnostic applications and many lacked formal diagnostic training (9.7% in residents vs 32% in staff, χ2=10.5, P=0.002). Despite this inexperience, 26.9% of residents use PoCUS for diagnostic applications.Conclusion: A third of residents are using PoCUS despite a lack in formal training, suggesting that PoCUS should be introduced to the IM curriculum