Point-of-care ultrasound training for respiratory therapists: A scoping review

Introduction: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), although commonly used in clinical practice, is not currently included in training programs for respira-tory therapists (RTs). In fact, given its ubiquity and clinical utility, RTs in Ontario, Canada, are changing their mandate to incorporate POCUS into their daily patient assessment. Therefore, we conducted a scoping review of the literature, aiming to describe the current evidence of POCUS training and methods of curriculum delivery for RTs to inform an evidence-based program design. Method: We systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Web of Science from inception to 8 July 2020. We included all studies report-ing on RT training in POCUS. Documents included English language, full-text reports of all study designs. Title and abstract screening, full-text review, and data abstraction were done independently and in duplicate. Results: Seven studies met our inclusion criteria, including four full texts and three abstracts; all were prospective and single-center studies, except one multi-center study. Reports were from nine different countries. Studies described cardiac, lung, and procedural ultrasonography use. The majority used a combina-tion of educational methods; didactic talks, hands-on sessions, and practical assessments being the most common methods. There was a median of 11 participants enrolled in a training session. The instructors were physicians from various specialties such as critical care, pulmonology, and radiology. Conclusions: This scoping review identified seven papers that explored different methods of a POCUS curriculum delivery for RTs. From the interven-tions outlined, teaching POCUS skills to RTs seems feasible. However, further work needs to be done to solidify a POCUS curriculum specific to RTs and examine the impact on patient-related outcomes.