Harnessing Twitter polls for multi-specialty collaboration in standardizing point-ofcare ultrasonography in nephrology

Koratala, Abhilash; Bhattacharya, Deepti; Kazory, Amir

doi:10.5414/cn109946

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…Recently, Rein et al [7] demonstrated the effectiveness of Twitter polls in teaching a challenging concept such as acid-base disorders. We have previously explored the utility of Twitter polls in answering some of the practical questions that arise during POCUS curriculum develop- ment and studied various factors determining the reach of a tweet [8,9]. As the ability to share images and videos makes this feature an attractive tool for POCUS education, we intended to formally study its value in the quality improvement process.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Point of Care Ultrasound Training in Nephrology: Twitter Poll as a Modern Tool for Development of an Effective Curriculum

et al. 2023

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Introduction: Point of care ultrasonography (POCUS) is being increasingly recognized as an adjunct to physical examination in the field of nephrology. However, paucity of trained faculty and standardized curricula remain key barriers to widespread adoption of this skill as well as development of reliable quality assessment programs at the institutional level. Herein, we sought to explore the utility of Twitter polls to gain insights into knowledge deficits of the learners for making curricular improvements while simultaneously disseminating POCUS pearls and pitfalls. Methods: A series of 57 single-question polls were tweeted over a 12-month period, each containing an ultrasound image or a video asking for correct interpretation. These were sent out from the Twitter handle of NephroPOCUS.com (@NephroP), an online POCUS education tool. The answer and a brief explanation were shared in a subsequent tweet at the end of the voting period. Information on the percentage of correct answers, Tweet impressions, and engagements was collected and analyzed by the pre-determined difficulty level (I-III) and the organ/learning objective being tested. Results: The number of responses per poll was 228 ± 94.6 (mean ± SD), and the percentage of correct responses was 57.9 ± 17.5 (mean ± SD). 16 (of 57) polls received less than 50% correct responses, of which 8 belonged to level III difficulty. The learning objectives that received the least number of correct responses in the kidney, cardiac, lung, vascular, and other categories were identification of end-stage kidney (16.2% correct answers), right pleural effusion on the parasternal short axis view of the heart (29%), right pleural effusion from the subxiphoid window (39%), grading of systemic venous congestion (27.3%), and identification of ascites on the right lateral chest window (15%), respectively. The overall engagement rate was 6.96%, which was above the median for health and higher education-related tweets on Twitter. Targeted didactic material was developed based on these results, published on various open-access nephrology education platforms. Conclusions: Twitter polls aid in identifying the knowledge gaps among POCUS learners. Information obtained from the polls can be used to improve POCUS-related curricula and develop targeted educational material to facilitate remote learning.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Point of Care Ultrasound Training in Nephrology: Twitter Poll as a Modern Tool for Development of an Effective Curriculum

et al. 2023

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“…Proper documentation and image archiving practices will facilitate this. Concerns about missed findings and resultant legal implications are a barrier to the wide adoption of POCUS (42). However, there is no evidence suggesting that missed findings on focused ultrasound examinations led to an adverse legal action against physicians.…”

Section: Limitations and Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

POCUS for Nephrologists: Basic Principles and a General Approach

Koratala

Reisinger

2021

Kidney360

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Point of care ultrasonography (POCUS) has evolved as a valuable adjunct to physical examination in the recent past and various medical specialties have embraced it. However, POCUS training and scope of practice remain relatively undefined in nephrology. The utility of diagnostic POCUS beyond kidney and vascular access is under-recognized. Assessment of fluid status is a frequent dilemma faced by nephrologists in day-to-day practice where multi-organ POCUS can enhance the sensitivity of conventional physical examination. POCUS also reduces fragmentation of care, facilitates timely diagnosis, and expedites management. While the need for further imaging studies is obviated in selected cases, POCUS is not meant to serve as an alternative to consultative imaging. In addition, utility of POCUS depends on the skills and experience of the operator, which in turn depends on the quality of training. In this review, we discuss the rationale behind nephrologists performing POCUS, discuss case examples to illustrate the basic principles of focused ultrasonography, and share our experience-based opinion about developing a POCUS training program at the institutional level.

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“…Although some clinicians express concerns about missed findings and consequent legal implications as a barrier to wide application of POCUS (23), so far, there is no indication in the literature that missed findings on focused or limited ultrasound examinations resulted in an adverse legal action against physicians. Instead, failure to perform POCUS in a timely manner has led to lawsuits (24)(25)(26)(27).…”

Section: Workflow and Billingmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Blueprint for an Integrated Point-of-Care Ultrasound Curriculum for Nephrology Trainees

et al. 2021

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Point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) is a limited ultrasound study performed by the clinician at bedside as a component or an adjunct to physical examination. POCUS has multiple applications in nephrology practice including evaluation of obstructive uropathy, objective assessment of volume status, arteriovenous access assessment, and procedural guidance. However, unlike specialties such as emergency medicine, POCUS training is not yet integrated into most nephrology fellowship curricula, and the sonographic applications taught vary widely among fellowship programs. In this article, we have used our institutional experience to provide a roadmap or blueprint for nephrology programs looking to create a POCUS program. We provide an overview of the curriculum including the basic organization, applications taught, online resources, milestone development, and quality assessment. We also discuss the nuances of POCUS workflow and perspectives on billing for these limited studies. In addition, we share the evaluation forms and sample documentation we use in our program. Future support, in the form of endorsed nephrology society guidelines, are needed before POCUS training is universally incorporated across nephrology fellowship programs.

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Harnessing Twitter polls for multi-specialty collaboration in standardizing point-ofcare ultrasonography in nephrology

Cited by 9 publications

References 0 publications

Point of Care Ultrasound Training in Nephrology: Twitter Poll as a Modern Tool for Development of an Effective Curriculum

Point of Care Ultrasound Training in Nephrology: Twitter Poll as a Modern Tool for Development of an Effective Curriculum

POCUS for Nephrologists: Basic Principles and a General Approach

A Blueprint for an Integrated Point-of-Care Ultrasound Curriculum for Nephrology Trainees

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