Evaluation of an Online Application for Point of Care Ultrasound Training in General Internal Medicine Residents

Evaluation of an Online Application for Point of Care Ultrasound Training in General Internal Medicine Residents

This study compares Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) training in two hospitals, one that uses an online application for supervision and one that does not use the application. The goal of this trial is to learn if POCUS supervision using the online application is associated with improved POCUS skills in residents in General Internal Medicine (GIM). The main question it aims to answer is:

- Do POCUS skills improve more during 6 months in GIM residents supervised using the application than in GIM residents who do not use the application?

Further questions the study aims to answer are:

• Do residents using the application perform more POCUS exams during 6 months than residents not using the application?
• Are residents using the application more satisfied with their POCUS training than residents not using the application?

Inclusion Criteria:

• General Internal Medicine resident employed at one of the study sites for at least 2 months
• Probably or definitely interested in achieving POCUS certification (mandatory for the General Internal Medicine specialisation in Switzerland)
• Basic ultrasound course completed (Basic course Abdominal ultrasound or Emergency ultrasound)
• Will spend at least 3 months within a rotation where POCUS training is offered during the 6 months after baseline assessment

Exclusion Criteria:

• Definitely or probably not interested in achieving POCUS certification
• Has already performed more than 80 supervised and more than 160 total POCUS exams
• Will end employment at the study site less than 7 months after baseline assessment