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.

Participants during a POCUS workshop at BC Rural Health Conference in 2023

“You guys are awesome. You have made education accessible and inclusive.”

Rural POCUS Round attendee

Achievements

New RTVS Support Line

With the help of Dr. Shyr Chui, a Prince George-based Radiologist, an RTVS POCUS Rapid Response Line has been initiated to support physicians with the same, high quality, real-time virtual supports they have come to trust and rely on through RTVS pathways. This is a leap forward as Point of Care Ultrasound is increasingly becoming a standard of care in rural communities and emergency rooms across the province. Dr. Chui brings a wealth of experience in the teaching and use of Ultrasound to support the new POCUS line.

Education through CAMP, Conferences and Rural POCUS Rounds

In 2023, we ran several workshops for rural physicians at SRPC, RHC, and the East Kootenay Winter Conference and continued to expand Coaching and Mentoring Program (CAMP) learning for ultrasound. In addition, our very popular Rural POCUS Rounds continue to be well attended by physicians from BC and beyond. 

Published Research

The qualitative survey on the status of POCUS in Rural BC was accepted for publication by Canadian Family Physician in the February 2024 edition, entitled “Use of Point of Care Ultrasound in Rural British Columbia: scale, education and barriers”.

Phase I of the Supercluster Project: Rural family physician use of point-of-care ultrasonography: experiences of primary care providers in British Columbia, Canada was published in BMC Primary Care, September 2023

Explore the numbers

8 Sessions

8 Rural POCUS Rounds sessions were held in partnership with UBC CPD

919 Registrants

919 total participants registered for Rural POCUS Rounds in 2023

130 HOUSE Attendees

130 learners in total attended HOUSE (Point of Care Ultrasound courses for residents, emergency, obstetrics and pediatrics for rural) in 2023

Partnership Work

2023 saw continued relationships with UBC HOUSE EM and HOUSE OB with courses being taught in Port Hardy, Duncan, Cranbrook, Sparwood, and Fort St. John.  

The UBC Coaching and Mentoring Program (CAMP) expanded it’s list of POCUS Coaches for rural BC.   

The Society of Rural Physicians of Canada supported over 8 workshops on ultrasound, 4 being hosted by RCCbc.  

In partnership with RTVS we are starting the POCUS Rapid Response Line.   

UBC UGME relationships were expanded with the introduction of 4 POCUS electives in Fernie and Haida Gwaii for undergraduate students.  

Plans continue to incorporate POCUS teaching into the integrated clinical clerkship. 

Alongside UBC CPD, we continue to offer free, virtual, and accredited monthly Rural POCUS Rounds (year three!). 

Plans for the Future

We are excited to host the first Rural POCUS Congress in May 2024 in Whistler in conjunction with the BC Rural Health Conference which we see as a solid step in the creation of a Rural POCUS community of practice.

We will continue to support ongoing research on the factors that contribute to success of incorporating POCUS in a rural community. 

Completion and expansion of the POCUS Rapid response pathway.

Further plans to integrate POCUS into the Integrated Clinical Clerkship and UGME. 