Canadian national survey of point-of-care ultrasound training in family medicine residency programs.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the current state of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) training in Canadian family medicine residency programs.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey to evaluate POCUS education in accredited Canadian family medicine residency programs; only 1 completed survey was accepted per residency program.

SETTING

Seventeen accredited Canadian family medicine residency programs.

PARTICIPANTS

Fourteen directors of family medicine programs across Canada.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Opinions of program directors in family medicine education on the relevance of POCUS in family medicine, and the role of POCUS training in family medicine residency programs.

RESULTS

The Web-based, anonymous survey, which was completed during the months of March and April 2016, achieved a response rate of 82% (14 out of 17 program directors). About one-fifth (21%) of program directors reported having an established ultrasound curriculum. Almost all directors (93%) believed that POCUS teaching should be integrated into family medicine residency curricula. Barriers to establishing training included the following: lack of adequate equipment (57%), lack of instructors (57%), lack of available time in the curriculum (57%), and lack of funding available to support training (71%). Seventy-one percent of respondents believed that POCUS could be used in outpatient family medicine clinics to alter clinical decision making. Some potential benefits associated with POCUS in primary care include more rapid diagnosis, improved patient outcomes, and potential to reduce health care costs.

CONCLUSION

Although only a few Canadian family medicine residency program directors reported actually having an established ultrasound curriculum, most of them believed that POCUS training should be offered to family medicine residents and that its use could positively affect primary care. A growing number of family medicine residency programs are considering incorporating ultrasound training into their curricula, but resource availability remains a considerable barrier to implementation.