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Koratala A, Soni NJ, Mehta R, Reisinger N. Effectiveness of a Brief Point of Care Ultrasound Course at a National Nephrology Conference. POCUS journal. 2024 Apr 22; 9(1):71-74.
Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects. The rising demand for point of care ultrasound (POCUS) instruction during nephrology fellowship has been limited due to a shortage of trained faculty and courses designed specifically for nephrologists. A hands-on POCUS pre-course was organized during the April 2023 National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Spring Clinical Meeting to address this challenge. The course consisted of pre-recorded lectures and a 4-hour hands-on workshop guided by multidisciplinary POCUS experts. The anonymous post-course survey received responses from 25 out of 39 participants, yielding a 64.1% response rate. On a scale of 0-10, confidence levels for acquiring kidney images rose from 2.6 + 2.3 (mean + SD) pre-workshop to 7.8 + 1.5 post-workshop (p < 0.001). Similarly, a remarkable improvement in confidence for acquiring lung and cardiac images was seen as scores increased from 1.8 + 2.4 to 7.7 + 1.5 (p < 0.001) and from 1.5 + 2.2 to 7.2 + 1.3 (p < 0.001), respectively. Additionally, respondents reported a substantial improvement in their confidence to interpret kidney, lung, and cardiac POCUS images, with scores increasing from 4.5 + 2.2 to 7.7 + 1.1 (p < 0.001), 2.3 + 2.4 to 7.6 + 1.5 (p < 0.001), and 2 + 2 to 7.3 + 1.5 (p < 0.001), respectively. Barriers to implementing POCUS use at institutions included a perceived lack of trained faculty, limited protected time for faculty, and insufficient support from division leadership. The NKF POCUS pre-course successfully improved participants' confidence in acquiring and interpreting basic POCUS images.
