Rural Point-of-Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) Strategy

RCCbc established the Rural Point-of-Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) Strategy group to incorporate the learnings, relationships and progress made throughout the Intelligent Network for PoCUS (IN PoCUS) project, as well as other RCCbc and network PoCUS initiatives.

Achievements

Expanded educational offerings through partner relationships

The Rural PoCUS Strategy is proud to continue its partnership with HOUSE (Hands on Ultrasound Education) and Real-Time Virtual Support (RTVS) to offer PoCUS Practice Support sessions to rural providers who use ultrasound. Point-of-Care Ultrasound continues to be an area of interest for many rural practitioners who seek to enhance their diagnostic accuracy with ultrasound. Connections with the UBC Undergraduate Programs have led to the creation of two PoCUS undergrad electives. The team continues to advocate for PoCUS training.

The team had a strong presence at the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada (SRPC) conference, where they ran five hands-on workshops, as well as lectures. They also met many PoCUS enthusiasts at the BC Rural Health Conference (RHC).

Coaching and Mentoring Program (CAMP) Ultrasound Coaching support has grown. There are now more than 15 practicing rural physicians taking part this year, and three more physician ultrasound coaches have been added to the program.

The group also oversaw the creation of a video to assist the physician participants in the Echocardiography project. As well as continuing to work with Change Healthcare to improve the virtual viewing platform so that physicians can archive their studies and receive specialist support.

Created and submitted a manuscript to the journal of CFP

The Rural PoCUS Strategy team distributed a survey, to better understand the current state of use of PoCUS in rural BC. The answers provided by hundreds of rural physicians will inform the development and improvement of medical education and practice supports for rural clinicians in British Columbia using PoCUS.

In 2022-23 these findings were collated, and data analyzed, resulting in the creation of the “Use or Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Rural British Columbia: scale, education and barriers” manuscript. The findings include ongoing need for education and real time support. In particular, there was an acknowledgement that new graduates need greater exposure to ultrasound teaching at both the undergraduate and resident levels. Submission of the manuscript has been made to the journal of CFP and is currently under review.

Hosted Rural PoCUS Rounds

The RCCbc Rural PoCUS Strategy, alongside UBC Continuing Professional Development (CPD), offer free, virtual, and accredited, monthly rounds based on rurally focused PoCUS topics, learnings and situations. The rounds include presentation-style learning and time for volunteered case studies. Attendees have an opportunity to share real life scans and work through specific scenarios.

More than 20 sessions have been held so far, with over 50 – 100 participants Zooming in monthly.

Explore the Numbers

5 Workshops at SRPC

The PoCUS Strategy Group ran five hands-on workshops at the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada (SRPC), as well as lectures.

20 + Rural PoCUS Rounds

More than 20 sessions have been held so far, with over 50 – 100 participants Zooming in monthly.

Plans for the Future

Establishing a community of practice for PoCUS champions and newly introduced users is of high importance to the Rural PoCUS Strategy – the team are hoping to add an entire PoCUS conference to the program’s offerings. This will be a multi-disciplinary conference exploring ultrasound use in many areas of medicine.

Also in the works is an expansion of real time ultrasound support through the RACE line, as well as developing undergraduate cases that are rural appropriate and integrate PoCUS into the diagnostic workflow.