Baracchini Claudio, Azevedo Elsa, Walter Uwe, Sargento-Freitas João, Malojcic Branko
Stroke Center and Neurosonology Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience, Padua University Hospital, Padova, Italy.
Neurology, Centro Hospitalar de Sao Joao EPE, Porto, Portugal.
Ultrasound Int Open. 2024 Feb 23;10:a22439625. doi: 10.1055/a-2243-9625. eCollection 2024.
To provide an overview on education, training, practice requirements, and fields of application of neurosonology in Europe and beyond. National representatives and experts in neurosonology were surveyed regarding neurosonology requirements and practice in their countries. Descriptive statistics were used to report the data. Between February 1 and March 31, 2023, 42/46 (91.3%) national representatives responded to our questionnaire and the completion rate was 100%. Most countries (71.4%) offer a neurosonology training program during neurology residency, but it is part of the undergraduate medical program only in 30.9%. National certification is available in 47.6% of the countries surveyed and most countries (76.2%) require certification to practice. In 50% of the countries, candidates are assessed by a board examination, while in 26.2% they just need to document their practice. There is no formal accreditation of neurosonology centers in 78.6% of the countries surveyed. Only a few require certified personnel and appropriate equipment. Adequate teaching and research activities are only rarely necessary elements for laboratory accreditation. Our results indicate that there is a substantial need for transnational harmonization of neurosonological standards to guarantee uniformity and quality of performance. This survey will also provide guidance to promote an international accrediting council and create a quality-controlled laboratory network for implementing neurosonology in clinical trials.
提供关于欧洲及其他地区神经超声学的教育、培训、实践要求和应用领域的概述。就神经超声学在其国家的要求和实践对神经超声学的国家代表和专家进行了调查。使用描述性统计来报告数据。
2023年2月1日至3月31日期间,42/46(91.3%)的国家代表回复了我们的问卷,完成率为100%。大多数国家(71.4%)在神经病学住院医师培训期间提供神经超声学培训项目,但只有30.9%是本科医学项目的一部分。47.6%的受调查国家有国家认证,大多数国家(76.2%)要求认证才能执业。在50%的国家,候选人通过委员会考试进行评估,而在26.2%的国家,他们只需要记录自己的实践情况。78.6%的受调查国家没有对神经超声学中心进行正式认证。只有少数国家要求有认证人员和适当的设备。充足的教学和研究活动只是实验室认证中很少需要的要素。
我们的结果表明,迫切需要对神经超声学标准进行跨国协调,以保证操作的一致性和质量。这项调查还将为促进国际认证委员会以及创建一个质量控制的实验室网络提供指导,以便在临床试验中实施神经超声学。