Abstract

Introduction

Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) has been adopted across many countries as a way of addressing the human resource gap of radiologists and sonographers. It involves providing basic and focused ultrasound skills to non-radiology health care providers to enhance their routine clinical work.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of radiology professionals about POCUS training.

Methods

The study was qualitative, involving radiologists and sonographers who perform ultrasound examinations. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants. Purposive sampling is a type of sampling where participants are selected because they have the knowledge and experience needed to answer the research objective. Focus group discussions and individual interviews were used to collect data and thematic analysis employed.

Results

Participants generally held negative perceptions towards POCUS training. These were reflected in four major themes: 1) Absence of standardized training curriculum; 2) Limited consultations with radiology professionals; 3) Fear of loss of professional identity and 4) Challenges with POCUS training.

Conclusion

The participants felt negatively about POCUS training. For future acceptability, we recommend involvement of radiology professionals in designing a POCUS curriculum as well as having a regulatory mechanism for monitoring the trainees.

Keywords

Point of care ultrasound (POCUS); Training; Perceptions; Radiology professionals.