Point-of-Care Ultrasound Attitudes, Barriers, and Current Use Among Family Medicine Residents and Practicing Physicians

Abstract

Introduction: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has high interest among learners and educators, but many barriers inhibit training and clinical use. Interest and barriers may differ between educators, trainees, and practicing physicians. This study investigates interest in POCUS, confidence in POCUS skills, and barriers to POCUS use for residents, academic family physicians, and community providers. Methods: Online surveys sent to current residents, faculty, and graduates of an academic family medicine residency compared current use, comfort, training, perceived importance, barriers, and interest in future use of POCUS. Results: Most participants (95.6%) agreed that POCUS was somewhat or extremely important to family medicine. Most participants also reported interest in all POCUS indications, other than obstetrics. Very few (5.4%) reported being extremely comfortable using POCUS. Most residents were somewhat comfortable, whereas most faculty and graduates were not at all comfortable. A majority in each group reported inexperience with equipment and interpreting images as a barrier. One-third of faculty and graduates reported “not billable” as a barrier. Statistically significant differences were found between groups’ reports of prior training, current use, and interest in POCUS for obstetrics. Conclusions: Family medicine residents, faculty, and community physicians reported high perceived importance of and interest in nonobstetric POCUS, but low comfort level in performing POCUS. Resident and faculty barriers may vary according to practice environment and differing time constraints. Senior faculty may have less POCUS training and comfort using POCUS than residents, highlighting the importance of continuing faculty education.