Consensus-based ethical best practices for performing educational point-of-care ultrasonography in the emergency department.

Objectives: There is no standardized protocol for performing educational point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) that addresses patient-centered ethical issues such as obtaining informed consent. This study sought to define principles for ethical application of educational POCUS and develop consensus-based best practice guidance. Methods: A questionnaire was developed by a trained ethicist after literature review with the help of a medical librarian. A diverse panel including experts in medical education, law, and bioethics; medical trainees; and individuals with no medical background was convened. The panel voted on their level of agreement with ethical principles and degree of appropriateness of behaviors in three rounds of a modified Delphi process. A high level of agreement was defined as 80% or greater consensus. Results: Panelists voted on 38 total items: 15 related to the patient consent and selection process, eight related to practices while performing educational POCUS, and 15 scenarios involving POCUS application. A high level of agreement was achieved for 13 items related to patient consent and selection, eight items related to performance practices, and 10 scenarios of POCUS application. Conclusions: Based on expert consensus, ethical best practices include obtaining informed consent before performing educational POCUS, allowing patients to decline educational POCUS, informing patients the examination is not intended to be a part of their medical evaluation and is not billed, using appropriate draping techniques, maintaining a professional environment, and disclosing incidental findings in coordination with the primary team caring for the patient. These practices could be implemented at institutions to encourage ethical use of educational POCUS when training physicians, fellows, residents, and medical students.

A Low-Fidelity, High-Functionality Ultrasound-Guided Serratus Plane Block Model.

BACKGROUND: Thoracic injuries present many challenges for management in the acute and inpatient settings, including achieving appropriate pain control. Traditional modalities, such as opioids and spinal epidural anesthesia, are associated with multiple complications. Ultrasound-guided regional nerve blocks are becoming more prevalent, and they have been shown to be an effective modality of pain control for other traumatic injuries. Models comprised of animal tissue to simulate human anatomy are widely utilized to facilitate training of needle-guided procedures, but no such model for the serratus anterior plane block has yet been defined in the literature. OBJECTIVES: Our goal was to produce a high-functionality serratus anterior plane block model with reasonable anatomic fidelity from low-cost materials. DISCUSSION: We describe the creation of an inexpensive high-functionality serratus anterior plane block model from common materials, including pork ribs and chicken breasts, to realistically simulate human anatomy, including multiple muscle and fascial planes, as well as to allow hydrodissection. CONCLUSIONS: This model will facilitate training and can improve success when caring for patients with thoracic trauma.

Defining a Theory-Driven Ultrasound Curriculum for Prehospital Providers.

Advances in point-of-care ultrasound technology have allowed for the extension of emergency medicine ultrasound beyond the walls of the emergency department. Emergency medical system providers may benefit from the use of ultrasound. It has previously been shown that with a brief introductory course, novices can obtain and correctly interpret focused ultrasound examinations. The purpose of this study was to design a theory-driven point-of-care ultrasound curriculum to assess and develop ultrasound skill in prehospital providers. The resultant curriculum outlined in this paper encompasses a large array of skills that may be useful for different prehospital services to use to develop curriculum for their own needs.