Point-of-care-Ultrasound (POCUS) Training Curriculum for Pediatric Nephrology: PCRRT-ICONIC Group Recommendations.

BACKGROUND: Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) is commonly used in adult specialties, pediatric emergency medicine, and neonatal and pediatric critical care. Specifically, in the field of pediatric nephrology, POCUS plays a valuable role in the critical inpatient and outpatient settings. However, the lack of guidelines and a standardized curriculum for POCUS in pediatric nephrology has led to substantial discrepancies in both clinical practice and training.

METHODS: A multinational, multicenter survey regarding POCUS usefulness and training was sent to 225 pediatric nephrology residents, fellows, and physicians with expertise in pediatric nephrology. Based on the results, an ideal pediatric nephrology POCUS curriculum was formulated with a panel of experts from across the world. Eighteen experts were included, with each expert having greater than 10 years of experience in using POCUS in adult and pediatric nephrology. A Delphi method was utilized to further solidify guidelines regarding the content, curriculum, and vital skills of using POCUS in pediatric nephrology.

RESULTS: A total of 134 pediatric nephrology trainees, specialists, and faculty responded to the survey (59.6% completion rate). A total of 87.4% of respondents believe that formal POCUS training is either highly desirable or should be mandatory in pediatric nephrology fellowship programs. Identified barriers to receiving training included lack of an organized curriculum, lack of POCUS experts and Pediatric intensivists, lack of ultrasound equipment, lack of financial support, and lack of dedicated time during training. An expert panel was convened and a Delphi survey was conducted to formulate guidelines to overcome the barriers to pediatric nephrology POCUS and standardize the training process.

CONCLUSIONS: After collaborating with prominent pediatric nephrologists and global POCUS experts proposed a comprehensive POCUS training curriculum tailored specifically for pediatric nephrology trainees, with an appeal for all pediatric nephrology education programs to integrate POCUS instruction into their curricula.