The assessment of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in residency: the benefits of a four-year longitudinally integrated curriculum
Authors: Le Duc Q. , Scarpulla Megan , Lam Hubert , Kern Julia , Vroegop Spencer , Yaeger Jordan , Finch Charles , Martini Wayne , Bolch Charlotte A. , Al-Nakkash Layla 
Published: January 2025

Context

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has diverse applications across various clinical specialties, serving as an adjunct to clinical findings and as a tool for increasing the quality of patient care. Owing to its multifunctionality, a growing number of medical schools are increasingly incorporating POCUS training into their curriculum, some offering hands-on training during the first 2 years of didactics and others utilizing a longitudinal exposure model integrated into all 4 years of medical school education. Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine (MWU-AZCOM) adopted a 4-year longitudinal approach to include POCUS education in 2017. There is a small body of published research supporting this educational model, but there is not much data regarding how this approach with ultrasound curriculum translates to real-world changes in POCUS use by graduate student clinicians having received this model of education.

Objectives

The objectives of this study are to determine the frequency of POCUS use by MWU-AZCOM graduates and to assess how a 4-year longitudinal ultrasound curriculum may enhance the abilities of MWU-AZCOM graduates to perform and interpret ultrasound imaging in specific residency programs.

Methods

The study was approved by the MWU Institutional Review Board (#IRBAZ-5169, approval date October 3, 2022). An anonymous novel 12-question survey was conducted utilizing Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap), a secure online platform, and distributed to MWU-AZCOM 2021 and 2022 graduates via email. Survey questions were aimed at assessing frequency of use, utilization of different imaging modalities, reasons for utilizing POCUS, barriers/enablers to utilizing POCUS, ultrasound training, and confidence in performing scans and interpreting POCUS imaging. All of the 104 surveys returned were included in the study. Statistical software R version 4.3 was utilized to conduct statistical analyses.

Results

Of the 484 surveys distributed, 104 were completed (21.5 % response rate). Responses came from residents working in 14 different specialties, 50 in primary care and 54 in nonprimary care. Of all respondents, 85.6 % currently utilize POCUS in their practice on at least a monthly basis and 77.0 % believe that their POCUS training in medical school enriches their current practice in residency. The top five modalities utilized by residents were procedures (89.9 %), cardiac (88.8 %), pulmonary (82.0 %), Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST, 73.0 %), and vascular (71.9 %). Respondents recognized POCUS as a beneficial diagnostic tool (97.8 %) and reported enhancements in physical examination skills (58.4 %) and professional growth (61.8 %). Facilitators for POCUS adoption included cost-effectiveness (82.0 %), diagnostic differentiation (78.7 %), and safety (79.8 %). Barriers included a lack of trained faculty (27.9 %), absence of necessary equipment (26.9 %), and cost of equipment (22.1 %). Participants demonstrated high confidence levels in performing (74.0 %) and interpreting (76.0 %) POCUS, with 43.3 % believing that their POCUS training enhanced their attractiveness as residency candidates.

Conclusions

This study supports the positive impact of a 4-year longitudinal POCUS curriculum on graduates’ practice. It emphasizes the link between MWU-AZCOM’s curriculum and real-world clinical needs. Addressing identified barriers and advancing hands-on training can further enhance POCUS understanding, ensuring that future physicians are well-prepared to leverage its diagnostic potential across medical specialties.