545 Can Novel Learners be Trained to Identify Cardiac Pathology With Hand Held Ultrasound? A Pilot Study

... We are now tasked with establishing the capabilities and limitations of these new medical devices in the hands of various users. Some consensus is emerging: studies have shown that these devices are a valuable tool for augmenting the diagnostic value of the standard physical exam and even novel learners can be taught to identify specific cardiac pathologies using HHCU [2][3][4]. However it is now clearly recognized that bedside examination with HHCU is not to be considered a substitute for a comprehensive or limited echocardiogram, and with the current technology these machines are only suited to performing focused cardiac ultrasound examinations, even when used by expert sonographers [5]. Within the practice of focused cardiac ultrasound, the image acquisition and interpretation skills of the user are the major factors determining the efficacy of these devices as a mechanism for improving the diagnostic power of a standard cardiac exam [6]. ...

... Our group is led by expert Level III trained echocardiographers with expertise in medical education. Our work has been presented at several conferences across Canada and the USA [2,7] and we lead the Canadian National Working Group on HHCU Education. We recently advanced this work by conducting a preliminary study in 10 senior internal medical residents demonstrating that HHCU improved clinical management of patients in the Emergency Department and improved the confidence of these physicians in their assessment of patients referred for cardiology assessment [8]. ...