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Abstract
Please confirm that an ethics committee approval has been applied for or granted: Not relevant
Background and Aims Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has emerged as a valuable tool for all regional anaesthetists to help diagnose relevant complications of anaesthesia and guide perioperative management. POCUSCLUB was organised as a comprehensive education and training programme to improve competency in and encourage the use of perioperative POCUS.
Methods A 5 session schedule was designed to teach the A-E of POCUS: A - airway, B - lung, C - cardiac, D - regional anaesthesia blocks for ICU and E - FAST and gastric. POCUSCLUB sessions lasted one hour encompassing an interactive presentation followed by hands-on scanning on live models. A pre- and post- course questionnaire survey was utilised to assess the competency of trainee and consultant anaesthetists in POCUS.
Results In the pre-course survey, we found that most anaesthetists used POCUS for vascular access, regional anaesthesia and US guided invasive procedures. However, 80% indicated they did not feel competent in using POCUS in perioperative situations and the most wanted to learn to use ultrasound for airway, lung, cardiac and abdominal FAST. 100% of participants agreed POCUSCLUB would be useful in learning how to integrate POCUS effectively into clinical practice.
POCUSCLUB A-E curriculum
Current POCUS practice
Desired POCUS practice
Conclusions Perioperative POCUS is a critical skill for regional anasthetists. Our comprehensive POCUSCLUB training programme can help bridge the gap between desire and achievement of competency in POCUS.