Building point-of-care ultrasound capacity in rural emergency departments: An educational innovation

Introduction: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) use is the standard of care in emergency medicine (EM), but rural physicians face barriers to obtaining and retaining this skill and cite low confidence in their use of POCUS. Without access to high-quality educational opportunities, this important clinical tool may not be used to its full potential in rural hospitals. The Hands-On Ultrasound Education (HOUSE) programme, launched in 2015 by the University of British Columbia's (BC) Division of Rural Continuing Professional Development, is a rurally focused POCUS training and education programme that travels to rural and remote communities and aims to build a rural POCUS community of practice within BC. In this study, we present and evaluate the HOUSE programme. Methods: The HOUSE programme is described. A comprehensive qualitative evaluation of semi-structured interviews pertaining to HOUSE was conducted in the 4th year of the programme to assess participant experience and programme outcomes. Results: Results from 52 semi-structured interviews indicate that there is a significant increase in self-reported confidence on specific POCUS applications and increased POCUS use after completion of the course, and we report positive experiences with the HOUSE programme. Conclusion: By providing a customizable, accessible, hands-on training opportunity, the HOUSE programme removes barriers to POCUS training and education for physicians in rural and remote BC. The rurally focused elements have contributed to education for rural participants that demonstrates increased confidence and the use of POCUS as a clinical tool.