Correspondence - Evaluation of a basic point-of-care ultrasound course for residents in internal medicine.

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) integrates imaging into the physical examination at the bedside. This offers the advantage of instant clinical information and has shown to speed up the diagnostic process, and to improve diagnostic accuracy and correct treatment.

The implementation of POCUS and POCUS training for residents: the Rijnstate approach.

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is gaining interest in intensive care medicine and good reviews and guidelines on POCUS are available. Unfortunately, how to implement POCUS and practical examples how to train staff and junior doctors is not well described in literature. We discuss the process of POCUS implementation, and a POCUS training program for residents prior to their intensive care rotation in a Dutch teaching hospital intensive care unit. The described four-day basic POCUS course consists of short tutorials and ample time for hands-on practice. Theoretical tests are taken shortly before, on the last day of the course, and after three months to assess learning retention. Practical tests are taken on the last day of the course and after three months. We stress the importance of POCUS for intensive care and hope that our experiences will help colleagues who also want to go forward with POCUS.