Executive SummaryA movement to create a federated global patient registry containing core data and using a standardized vocabulary for as many as 7,000 rare diseases was launched at a workshop,
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has found many relevant applications in pediatric anesthesia and critical care medicine. Specifically, the cardiac and pulmonary POCUS examinations provide a wealth of information from physical examination assistance to diagnostic evaluation and assessment of treatment response. However, as with any adjunct, potentially dangerous pitfalls exist when POCUS is performed, interpreted, and applied by the novice sonographer. Using case illustrations, we highlight the clinical application of POCUS in addition to potential dangers. Additionally, suggestions for learning POCUS, assessing competency and credentialing are reviewed. K E Y W O R D S anesthesiology, cardiac, critical care, perioperative, point-of-care ultrasound, pulmonary, ultrasound | 791 ADLER Et AL. S U PP O RTI N G I N FO R M ATI O N Additional supporting information may be found online in the Supporting Information section at the end of the article. How to cite this article: Adler AC, Brown KA, Conlin FT, Thammasitboon S, Chandrakantan A. Cardiac and lung point-of-care ultrasound in pediatric anesthesia and critical care medicine: Uses, pitfalls, and future directions to optimize pediatric care. Pediatr Anesth. 2019;29:790-798.
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is increasingly accepted in pediatric critical care medicine as a tool for guiding the evaluation and treatment of patients. POCUS is a complex skill that requires user competency to ensure accuracy, reliability, and patient safety. A robust competency-based medical education (CBME) program ensures user competency and mitigates patient safety concerns. A programmatic assessment model provides a longitudinal, holistic, and multimodal approach to teaching, assessing, and evaluating learners. The authors propose a fit-for-purpose and modifiable CBME model that is adaptable for different institutions’ resources and needs for any intended competency level. This educational model drives and supports learning, ensures competency attainment, and creates a clear pathway for POCUS education while enhancing patient care and safety.
Objectives:
To develop a competency-based educational tool for cardiac point-of-care ultrasound image interpretation using the design-based research approach.
Design:
In accordance with design-based research, multiple methods were used to determine that learners would benefit from achieving competency in cardiac point-of-care ultrasound image interpretation before they attempted it at the bedside. A competency-based educational tool was designed and underwent a rapid prototyping process with experts. Evaluative data was used to redesign and reevaluate the educational tool with a new group of learners to improve its effectiveness.
Setting:
Large, university-based children’s hospital.
Subjects:
Pediatric critical care attending physicians, fellow physicians and advanced practice providers, and pediatric resident physicians.
Interventions:
Integrating mastery learning and deliberate practice as theoretical frameworks, the authors designed an online “Image Library” composed of 90 questions of cardiac point-of-care ultrasound image clips with varying degrees of pathology that were organized into three levels of difficulty. Learners answered a set of 10 questions, learned from feedback, and repeated an additional set in the same difficulty until achieving a predefined level of mastery.
Measurements and Main Results:
Two learning cycles were implemented with a total of 41 learners. Forty learners (98%) were able to demonstrate mastery on the Image Library and required a range of 30 to 210 questions to do so. On a 10-question final assessment, learners scored an average of 72%, while experts and novices scored 83% and 17%, respectively. On a 5-point scale, learners rated the quality of the Image Library for facilitation of learning (median 5), enjoyment of learning (5), and useful knowledge and skills to improve clinical practice (5).
Conclusions:
An effective and innovative tool for teaching cardiac point-of-care ultrasound image interpretation was developed using the design-based research approach. Our results demonstrate the importance of individualized learning timelines for ultrasound image interpretation.
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