Evaluation of Implementation of a National Point-of-Care Ultrasound Training Program

NCT03296280 | Completed Results

• 2 other identifiers: PEX 16-003I50HX002263-01A1
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 116
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This VA QUERI Partnered Evaluation Initiative will evaluate the impact of an immersive Point-of-care Ultrasound (POCUS) Training Course on provider skill acquisition and retention; the frequency of POCUS use by trained providers; and the barriers/facilitators to POCUS in the VHA. Data sources include pre- and post-course assessment tools, medical coding data, and course evaluations. Providers that participate in the POCUS Training Course will be compared to control providers from wait-listed facilities. Additionally, participating facilities vs. wait-listed facilities for the POCUS Training Course will be compared. Findings from this project will guide ongoing efforts of the investigators' operating partners, VA Specialty Care Centers of Innovation (SCCI) and the VA Simulation Learning and Research Network (SimLEARN), to develop a national POCUS training program and facilitate implementation of POCUS use system-wide in the VA healthcare system.

Conditions

Other Acute Illnesses Presenting to the Hospital; Heart Failure; Pneumonia; Deep Venous Thrombosis; Cellulitis; Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm; Acute Cholecystitis; Peritoneal Free Fluid; Hydronephrosis; Pleural Effusion; Urinary Retention

Keywords

ultrasound; ultrasonography; point of care; Doppler ultrasound; ultrasound imaging; diagnostic ultrasound

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Frequency of Point-of-care Ultrasound Use for Diagnostic and Procedural Applications at Baseline and 6-9 Months

  Provider self-reported data pre- and post-intervention on frequency of point-of-care ultrasound use, based on number of exams per week.

  Baseline compared to 6-9 months later.

Secondary Outcomes (7)

• Change in Point-of-care Ultrasound Knowledge From Baseline to 6-9 Months

  Baseline compared to 6-9 months later.

• Change in Point-of-care Ultrasound Cardiac Skills From Baseline to 6-9 Months

  Baseline compared to 6-9 months later.

• Change in Point-of-care Ultrasound Lung Skills From Baseline to 6-9 Months

  Baseline compared to 6-9 months later.

• Change in Point-of-care Ultrasound Peripheral IV Skills From Baseline to 6-9 Months

  Baseline compared to 6-9 months later.

• Change in Point-of-care Ultrasound Abdominal Skills From Baseline to 6-9 Months

  Baseline compared to 6-9 months later.

Study Arms (2)

Early Intervention

This cohort of 10 facilities will undergo early training by participating in the first 6 POCUS course sessions during FY17

Late Intervention

This cohort of 10 facilities will undergo late training by participating in the last 6 POCUS courses during FY17.

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

VA physicians

You may qualify if:

• Chief of staff desires POCUS training for his/her facility
• \>=2 Service Chiefs from emergency medicine, critical care medicine, or hospital medicine desire training for his/her physicians, AND
• \>=1 portable ultrasound machine(s) available to physicians within these services

You may not qualify if:

• Chief of staff does not desire POCUS training for his/her facility
• \<2 Service Chiefs from emergency medicine, critical care medicine, or hospital medicine desire training for his/her physicians, OR
• No portable ultrasound machine(s) available to physicians within these services

Sponsors & Collaborators

• VA Office of Research and Development: lead
• US Department of Veterans Affairs: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

South Texas Health Care System, San Antonio, TX

San Antonio, Texas, 78229, United States

Location

Related Publications (2)

• Iqbal A, Ahmad M, Murray KJ, Sim J, Lund TJS, Andrade AJ, Perez-Sanchez A, Mader MJ, Haro EK, Williams JP, Nathanson R, Soni NJ. Current Use and Barriers to Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Rheumatology: A National Survey of VA Medical Centers. Rheumatol Ther. 2024 Jun;11(3):855-867. doi: 10.1007/s40744-024-00665-2. Epub 2024 Apr 6.

  PMID: 38581600 DERIVED

• Boyd JS, LoPresti CM, Core M, Schott C, Mader MJ, Lucas BP, Haro EK, Finley EP, Restrepo MI, Kessler C, Colon-Molero A, Pugh J, Soni NJ. Current use and training needs of point-of-care ultrasound in emergency departments: A national survey of VA hospitals. Am J Emerg Med. 2019 Sep;37(9):1794-1797. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2019.02.043. Epub 2019 Feb 28. No abstract available.

  PMID: 30878406 DERIVED

Related Links

• VA Quality Enhancemen Research Initiative (QUERI)

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Heart Failure; Pneumonia; Venous Thrombosis; Cellulitis; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal; Cholecystitis, Acute; Hydronephrosis; Pleural Effusion; Urinary Retention

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Heart Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Respiratory Tract Infections; Infections; Lung Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Thrombosis; Embolism and Thrombosis; Vascular Diseases; Skin Diseases, Infectious; Suppuration; Connective Tissue Diseases; Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases; Inflammation; Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Aortic Aneurysm; Aneurysm; Aortic Diseases; Cholecystitis; Gallbladder Diseases; Biliary Tract Diseases; Digestive System Diseases; Kidney Diseases; Urologic Diseases; Female Urogenital Diseases; Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications; Urogenital Diseases; Male Urogenital Diseases; Pleural Diseases; Urination Disorders

Limitations and Caveats

1. Maintaining early or late intervention groups due to schedules/space limitations. 2. Equipment not readily available and inability to receive IT approvals limited follow-up scheduling. 3. Participants with limited clinical time may skew scores.

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Nilam Soni
• Organization: South Texas Veterans Health Care System / UT Health San Antonio

sonin@uthscsa.edu

210-949-9454

Study Officials

• Nilam Jayant Soni, MD MSc

  South Texas Health Care System, San Antonio, TX

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: Yes

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE
• Sponsor Type: FED
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 19, 2017
• First Posted: September 28, 2017
• Study Start: October 3, 2016
• Primary Completion: June 29, 2018
• Study Completion: September 30, 2020
• Last Updated: November 23, 2020
• Results First Posted: March 11, 2020

Record last verified: 2020-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)