The European Respiratory Society led training programme improves self-reported competency and increases the use of thoracic ultrasound
Pia Iben Pietersen,
Lars Konge,
Rahul Bhatnagar,
Marek Slavicky,
Najib M. Rahman,
Nick Maskell,
Laurence Crombag,
Nathalie Tabin,
Christian B. Laursen,
Anders Bo Nielsen
Affiliations
Pia Iben Pietersen
Department of Radiology, Odense University Hospital – Svendborg, Research and Innovation Unit of Radiology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
Lars Konge
Copenhagen Academy for Medical Education and Simulation (CAMES), Copenhagen, Denmark
Rahul Bhatnagar
Southmead University Hospital Bristol, Academic Respiratory Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
Marek Slavicky
European Respiratory Society, Educational Activities, Lausanne, Switzerland
Najib M. Rahman
Oxford Centre for Respiratory Medicine, Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Chinese Academy of Medicine Oxford Institute, Oxford, UK
Nick Maskell
Academic Respiratory Unit, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
Laurence Crombag
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Nathalie Tabin
European Respiratory Society, Educational Activities, Lausanne, Switzerland
Christian B. Laursen
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Odense University Hospital, Odense Respiratory Research Unit (ODIN), Odense, Denmark
Anders Bo Nielsen
Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Odense University Hospital, Svendborg, Denmark
Thoracic ultrasound has become a well-implemented diagnostic tool for assessment and monitoring of patients with respiratory symptoms or disease. However, ultrasound examinations are user dependent and sufficient competencies are needed. The European Respiratory Society (ERS) hosts a structured and evidence-based training programme in thoracic ultrasound. This study aimed to explore and discuss the self-reported activity and self-reported competency of the participants during the ERS course. Online surveys were sent to the training programme participants before the second part of the course (practical part of the course), and before and 3 months after the third part of the course (final certification exam). A total of 77 participants completed the surveys. The self-reported frequency of thoracic ultrasound examinations increased during the course, and in the final survey more than 90% of the participants used thoracic ultrasound on weekly basis. The self-reported competency (on technical execution of the thoracic ultrasound examination and overall competency) also increased. The ERS thoracic ultrasound training programme forms the basis of broad theoretical knowledge and sufficient practical skills that seem to lead to behavioural changes, whereby a large proportion of the participants implemented ultrasound in their clinical practice.
