Point-of-Care Ultrasound Education and Training for Regional Anesthesiologist and Pain Physicians

Publication Date: March 1, 2021
Last Updated: March 14, 2022

Recommendations

  • The I-AIM model is used as the framework for didactic and hands-on training and to guide competency assessment.
  • Didactic curricula may include in-class or online components.
  • Training should include hands-on sessions on live models with normal anatomy and sonoanatomy for each particular skill to aid in image acquisition and familiarity with normal anatomy. Pathology can be reviewed either by a simulator, scanning patients with known pathology, or reviewing clinical cases.
  • Curriculum content should be reviewed on an ongoing basis.
  • Further research is encouraged to investigate the optimal training methodologies, approach to competency assessment, and learning curves in an anesthesiology and pain clinical environment.
  • Refer to table 1 for the minimum number of supervised studies recommended to achieve competency in each of the specific diagnostic point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) domains.
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Table 1: Minimum number of supervised studies recommended to achieve competency in specific diagnostic point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) domains (adapted with permission from a Work Product authored by the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ Ad Hoc Committee on POCUS)

Having trouble viewing table?

POCUS application Minimum number of supervised studies personally performed and interpreted
(“Level 1” studies)		 Minimum number of additional supervised studies interpreted but need not be personally performed
(“Level 2” studies)		 Total number of “Level 1 and 2” studies for competency
Focused airway ultrasound 30 20 50
Focused lung ultrasound 30 20 50
Focused assessment with sonography in trauma 30 20 50
Focused gastric ultrasound 30 20 50
Focused cardiac ultrasound 50 100 150

Overview

Title

Point-of-Care Ultrasound Education and Training for Regional Anesthesiologists and Pain Physicians

Authoring Organization