{"title":"From Course to Clinical Practice: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of a Longitudinal POCUS Curriculum for Community Pediatricians.","authors":"Hadas Katz-Dana, Ayelet Shles, Ortal Erez-Granat, Hadas Yechiam, Dania Takagi, Ehud Rosenbloom, Nir Friedman","doi":"10.1016/j.acap.2026.103445","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is increasingly used in emergency and adult primary care, yet its integration into pediatric community pediatrics remains limited. Barriers include limited training opportunities, insufficient hands-on practice, and inconsistent access to ultrasound devices. This study evaluated self-reported POCUS use, confidence, perceived practice impact, and barriers 12 months after completion of a longitudinal POCUS training program tailored for community pediatricians.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This mixed-methods study included 65 community pediatricians who completed a two-day introductory POCUS course followed by four supervised scanning shifts in a pediatric emergency department. Participants were required to commit to ultrasound device access prior to enrollment. Twelve months after course completion, participants completed an anonymous survey assessing POCUS use frequency, self-reported confidence across 19 applications, perceived clinical impact, and barriers.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Fifty-two of 65 pediatricians (80%) completed the 12-month follow-up survey. 23/52 (44%) reported using POCUS at least weekly, while 20/52 (38%) reported rare use. Lung and soft-tissue applications were most used and associated with the highest confidence. Participants reported increased diagnostic confidence (39/52, 75%), improved communication with families (41/52, 79%), and enhanced patient satisfaction (46/52, 88%). 34/52 (65%) perceived reduced reliance on chest radiography and 31/52 (59%) reported faster decision-making. Device availability was strongly associated with ongoing use. Major barriers included limited refresher training, lack of feedback on image quality, and extended visit duration.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>A longitudinal POCUS curriculum may support meaningful integration of POCUS into community pediatric practice. Reliable device access and ongoing supervised practice are essential for sustaining long-term adoption.</p>","PeriodicalId":50930,"journal":{"name":"Academic Pediatrics","volume":" ","pages":"103445"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8000,"publicationDate":"2026-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Academic Pediatrics","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2026.103445","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PEDIATRICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is increasingly used in emergency and adult primary care, yet its integration into pediatric community pediatrics remains limited. Barriers include limited training opportunities, insufficient hands-on practice, and inconsistent access to ultrasound devices. This study evaluated self-reported POCUS use, confidence, perceived practice impact, and barriers 12 months after completion of a longitudinal POCUS training program tailored for community pediatricians.
Methods: This mixed-methods study included 65 community pediatricians who completed a two-day introductory POCUS course followed by four supervised scanning shifts in a pediatric emergency department. Participants were required to commit to ultrasound device access prior to enrollment. Twelve months after course completion, participants completed an anonymous survey assessing POCUS use frequency, self-reported confidence across 19 applications, perceived clinical impact, and barriers.
Results: Fifty-two of 65 pediatricians (80%) completed the 12-month follow-up survey. 23/52 (44%) reported using POCUS at least weekly, while 20/52 (38%) reported rare use. Lung and soft-tissue applications were most used and associated with the highest confidence. Participants reported increased diagnostic confidence (39/52, 75%), improved communication with families (41/52, 79%), and enhanced patient satisfaction (46/52, 88%). 34/52 (65%) perceived reduced reliance on chest radiography and 31/52 (59%) reported faster decision-making. Device availability was strongly associated with ongoing use. Major barriers included limited refresher training, lack of feedback on image quality, and extended visit duration.
Conclusion: A longitudinal POCUS curriculum may support meaningful integration of POCUS into community pediatric practice. Reliable device access and ongoing supervised practice are essential for sustaining long-term adoption.
期刊介绍：
Academic Pediatrics, the official journal of the Academic Pediatric Association, is a peer-reviewed publication whose purpose is to strengthen the research and educational base of academic general pediatrics. The journal provides leadership in pediatric education, research, patient care and advocacy. Content areas include pediatric education, emergency medicine, injury, abuse, behavioral pediatrics, holistic medicine, child health services and health policy,and the environment. The journal provides an active forum for the presentation of pediatric educational research in diverse settings, involving medical students, residents, fellows, and practicing professionals. The journal also emphasizes important research relating to the quality of child health care, health care policy, and the organization of child health services. It also includes systematic reviews of primary care interventions and important methodologic papers to aid research in child health and education.
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