Evaluation of antenatal Point-of-Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) training: a systematic review
Introduction There is limited access to life-saving antenatal ultrasound in rural and low-resource settings largely due to shortages in skilled staff. Studies have shown healthcare practitioners can be upskilled in PoCUS through focused training, offering a viable solution to this deficit. However,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Medical Education Online |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/10872981.2022.2041366 |
| _version_ | 1818348827293253632 |
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| author | Amber Bidner Eva Bezak Nayana Parange |
| author_facet | Amber Bidner Eva Bezak Nayana Parange |
| author_sort | Amber Bidner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction There is limited access to life-saving antenatal ultrasound in rural and low-resource settings largely due to shortages in skilled staff. Studies have shown healthcare practitioners can be upskilled in PoCUS through focused training, offering a viable solution to this deficit. However, standards for training and competency assessment are unclear and regulation surrounding practice is lacking. We aimed to review published literature examining antenatal PoCUS training programs, comparing teaching approaches and study methodologies.Methods A search of electronic databases EMBASE, MEDLINE and Google Scholar was conducted. Original research articles evaluating antenatal PoCUS training of healthcare professionals worldwide were identified for analysis. Articles with limited detail on the PoCUS training intervention and those describing comprehensive diagnostic training programs were excluded. Evaluations were compared against the Kirkpatrick Evaluation Framework (KEF).Results Twenty-seven studies were included from an initial search result of 484 articles. There was considerable heterogeneity between the PoCUS training programs described. Course duration ranged from 3 hours to 2 years, with 11 of the 27 studies delivering obstetric-exclusive content. 44% trained multidisciplinary groups of health professionals. Long-term follow-up training and skills assessments were lacking in over half of the reviewed studies. Study quality and reporting detail varied, but overall beneficial outcomes were reported with 3/4s of the studies reaching upper KEF levels 3 and 4.Conclusion PoCUS performed by upskilled healthcare professionals offers an attractive solution to the problem of inequitable access to antenatal ultrasound. A review of available literature highlighted a paucity of comparable high-quality studies needed to establish a stronger evidence base for antenatal PoCUS, and a need to standardise training and competency assessment. This review may inform educators, researchers and policy-makers on existing training formats and methodologies to assist in establishing best practice antenatal PoCUS training methods for safe service delivery by remote healthcare professionals. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T17:56:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-30eef90cef12414189d4bfaa35cc8bc5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1087-2981 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T17:56:14Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Medical Education Online |
| spelling | doaj.art-30eef90cef12414189d4bfaa35cc8bc52022-12-21T23:36:22ZengTaylor & Francis GroupMedical Education Online1087-29812022-12-0127110.1080/10872981.2022.2041366Evaluation of antenatal Point-of-Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) training: a systematic reviewAmber Bidner0Eva Bezak1Nayana Parange2Department of Allied Health and Human Performance, The University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, AustraliaDepartment of Allied Health and Human Performance, The University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, AustraliaDepartment of Allied Health and Human Performance, The University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, AustraliaIntroduction There is limited access to life-saving antenatal ultrasound in rural and low-resource settings largely due to shortages in skilled staff. Studies have shown healthcare practitioners can be upskilled in PoCUS through focused training, offering a viable solution to this deficit. However, standards for training and competency assessment are unclear and regulation surrounding practice is lacking. We aimed to review published literature examining antenatal PoCUS training programs, comparing teaching approaches and study methodologies.Methods A search of electronic databases EMBASE, MEDLINE and Google Scholar was conducted. Original research articles evaluating antenatal PoCUS training of healthcare professionals worldwide were identified for analysis. Articles with limited detail on the PoCUS training intervention and those describing comprehensive diagnostic training programs were excluded. Evaluations were compared against the Kirkpatrick Evaluation Framework (KEF).Results Twenty-seven studies were included from an initial search result of 484 articles. There was considerable heterogeneity between the PoCUS training programs described. Course duration ranged from 3 hours to 2 years, with 11 of the 27 studies delivering obstetric-exclusive content. 44% trained multidisciplinary groups of health professionals. Long-term follow-up training and skills assessments were lacking in over half of the reviewed studies. Study quality and reporting detail varied, but overall beneficial outcomes were reported with 3/4s of the studies reaching upper KEF levels 3 and 4.Conclusion PoCUS performed by upskilled healthcare professionals offers an attractive solution to the problem of inequitable access to antenatal ultrasound. A review of available literature highlighted a paucity of comparable high-quality studies needed to establish a stronger evidence base for antenatal PoCUS, and a need to standardise training and competency assessment. This review may inform educators, researchers and policy-makers on existing training formats and methodologies to assist in establishing best practice antenatal PoCUS training methods for safe service delivery by remote healthcare professionals.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/10872981.2022.2041366Medical educationtrainingantenatalobstetricsPoint-of-Care Ultrasound (PoCUS)continuing professional development |
| spellingShingle | Amber Bidner Eva Bezak Nayana Parange Evaluation of antenatal Point-of-Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) training: a systematic review Medical Education Online Medical education training antenatal obstetrics Point-of-Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) continuing professional development |
| title | Evaluation of antenatal Point-of-Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) training: a systematic review |
| title_full | Evaluation of antenatal Point-of-Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) training: a systematic review |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of antenatal Point-of-Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) training: a systematic review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of antenatal Point-of-Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) training: a systematic review |
| title_short | Evaluation of antenatal Point-of-Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) training: a systematic review |
| title_sort | evaluation of antenatal point of care ultrasound pocus training a systematic review |
| topic | Medical education training antenatal obstetrics Point-of-Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) continuing professional development |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/10872981.2022.2041366 |
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