Simulation training can improve internal medicine residents’ knowledge and comfort with cardiac point-of-care ultrasound to diagnose acute cardiovascular conditions

Abstract

Few studies have examined the value of dedicated simulation-based point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) training in improving Internal Medicine residents’ knowledge and comfort with cardiac POCUS to diagnose acute decompensated systolic heart failure and large pericardial effusion. This mixed-methods research included all 48 first-year Internal Medicine Residents receiving POCUS training at an urban academic centre. Participants were queried about their self-appraised cardiac POCUS knowledge, objectively tested on their cardiac POCUS knowledge, and surveyed about their comfort with cardiac POCUS tasks before and immediately after their training session, as well as 3 months later. Participants’ self-appraised knowledge regarding cardiac POCUS increased significantly from pre- to immediately post-intervention (31%–83%, Simulation-based training can be beneficial for teaching Internal Medicine residents the fundamental skills of cardiac POCUS as well as how to utilize the modality to diagnose acute decompensated systolic heart failure and large pericardial effusion.