The Impact of a Hybrid Training Program on Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Knowledge Acquisition and Skills among non-ultrasound trained Physicians

Abstract

Background Physicians from around the world with a variety of training backgrounds practice medicine in the United Arab Emirates. Most of these physicians have not received formal ultrasound training, a critical skill to practice medicine in several specialties. Furthermore, no formal ultrasound fellowships or hospital credentialing processes exist in the UAE to prepare physicians to perform point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). This prospective interventional pre/post study investigated the impact of a longitudinal hybrid (online and hands-on) training program on POCUS knowledge acquisition and skills of non- ultrasound-trained physicians in UAE. Methods: The POCUS training workshop was spread over four full days to accommodate capacity and physicians' shift schedule limitations (three hours of didactics and four hours of hands-on). The course focused on teaching the following ultrasound modalities: Cardiac, Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST), and Thoracic ultrasound. Participants' knowledge was assessed via multiple choice questions pre-workshop, post-didactics, and post-hands-on while POCUS scanning skills were evaluated using the ultrasound competency assessment tool (UCAT). Results: Fifty-four physicians who had no prior ultrasound experience enrolled in the workshop, of which 25 were Internal Medicine residents, 16 were Emergency Medicine residents, 8 were General Practitioners working in the emergency department, 1 Emergency Pediatric fellow, 1 Hospitalist, and 3 newly graduated physicians in their internship year. Significant improvements were observed in the knowledge exam results with pre-course, post- didactics, and post-hands-on with the average of the correct answers, increasing from 4.9 to 6.8 and then to 8.5, respectively, post-course (P.05). Conclusion: Our cohort showed a statistically significant increase in POCUS knowledge of practitioners following a single-day ultrasound training workshop. This suggests that a well-structured ultrasound educational program can improve physicians' performance of ultrasound skills and knowledge. Future steps to implement effective ultrasound education include increased training and assessment programs and standardized ultrasound-credentialing programs.