Abstract 12830: Cardiac POCUS: Another Tool in the Armory

Abstract

Introduction: Cardiac Point-Of-Care-Ultrasound (POCUS) is a valuable bedside tool that has been shown to provide better-quality patient care. Few studies have examined residents’ interest and the educational impact of a hybrid Cardiac POCUS training model in a community-based academic setting. Material and Methods: Internal Medicine and Medicine/Pediatrics residents across all post-graduate years (PGY) undertook a structured hybrid (online and hands-on teaching) model of POCUS training. Anonymous surveys with Likert-type scale responses were conducted before and after the curriculum. Questions were categorized into domains to assess the residents’ interest in learning POCUS, their understanding of fundamental cardiac ultrasound (US) concepts, and their confidence in its application. Direct comparisons were made using Fisher’s exact and t-test as appropriate. Odds ratios were estimated to further gauge the impact of the training. Results: A total of 27 and 26 residents completed the pre-and post-training anonymous surveys, respectively. A median of 1 previous cardiac US was reported, with the distribution showing a positive skew. Responses inquiring about residents’ interest in learning POCUS were similar post-training compared to the pre-training survey (OR 3.66 [CI 0.86 - 15.59], p = 0.07), a finding consistent amongst sub-groups female gender, and PGY levels 2 & 3. The training did reveal a significant increase in both, the understanding of cardiac POCUS principles (OR 8.25 [CI 1.61 - 42.28], p = 0.005), and the residents’ confidence in its application (OR 13.53 [CI 1.58 - 116.04, p=0.005]. The mean score on confidence level, though higher post-training, was not significant amongst PGY 1 residents. Conclusions: Understanding fundamental cardiac ultrasound concepts and the confidence level in its application were significantly greater amongst residents after implementing a structured hybrid teaching model for Cardiac POCUS. This may be most impactful if designed for PGY levels 2 & 3. Future studies with a comprehensive teaching curriculum and more objective assessment tools are needed to gauge its clinical impact, its adoption rate in clinical practice, and a recommendation for incorporation into the residency curriculum.