Design and Evaluation of the I-SCAN Faculty POCUS Program

Abstract IntroductionPoint-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is becoming widely adopted with increasing accessibility of courses. Little is known about the optimal design of the introductory course or longitudinal training programs that are critical to success.AimTo evaluate the effectiveness of a comprehensive hospitalist POCUS training programSettingFour hospitals at an academic medical center.Program DescriptionThe program consisted of a 2-day introductory course and a longitudinal phase comprising clinical POCUS practice, clip uploading with online feedback, hands-on teaching, and monthly ultrasound conferences. Assessments were performed immediately before and after the 2-day course and after one year.Program EvaluationKnowledge increased from baseline to post 2-day (median score 58% and 85%, respectively, p<0.001) and decreased slightly at one year (median score 81%, p=0.012). After the 2-day introductory course, the median score for hands-on image acquisition skills, the principal metric of learner success, was 75%. After one year, scores were similar (median score 74%). Confidence increased from baseline to post 2-day (1.5 to 3.1 on a 4 point Likert scale from Not at all confident (1) to Very confident (4), p<0.001), and remained unchanged after one year (2.73). Course elements correlating with a passing score on the final hands-on test included number of clip uploads (r=0.85, p,0.001), attendance at hands-on sessions (r=0.7, p=0.001), and attendance at monthly conferences (r=0.50, p=0.03).DiscussionThe I-ScaN POCUS training program increased hospitalist knowledge, skill and confidence with maintained skill and confidence after one year. Uploading clips and attending hands-on teaching sessions were most correlative with learner success.