Table 4.
Perceived importance of POCUS, self-reported comfort, training, and barriers to POCUS use, n (%)
| Response | Faculty | Graduates | Residents | Significant comparisons† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Importance to family medicine | G-R | |||
| Extremely important | 6 (28.6) | 6 (14.6) | 10 (34.5) | |
| Somewhat important | 13 (61.9) | 33 (80.5) | 19 (65.5) | |
| Not at all important | 2 (9.5) | 2 (4.9) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Comfort performing POCUS | F-R, G-R | |||
| Extremely comfortable | 0 (0.0) | 4 (9.5) | 1 (3.4) | |
| Somewhat comfortable | 8 (36.4) | 10 (23.8) | 18 (62.1) | |
| Not at all comfortable | 14 (63.6) | 28 (66.7) | 10 (34.5) | |
| Training mode * | ||||
| Medical school/residency | 2 (9.5) | 8 (19.0) | 9 (31.0) | |
| On-the-job training | 8 (38.1) | 8 (19.0) | 18 (62.1) | G-R |
| Other | 0 (0.0) | 6 (14.3) | 3 (10.3) | |
| Proprietary course | 2 (9.5) | 4 (9.5) | 1 (3.4) | |
| None | 12 (57.1) | 23 (54.8) | 4 (13.8) | F-R, G-R |
| Barriers to using POCUS * | ||||
| Attending not interested or experienced | n/a | n/a | 1 (3.4) | |
| Inexperience interpreting images | 17 (77.3) | 28 (68.3) | 21 (72.4) | |
| Inexperience using machine | 16 (72.7) | 24 (58.5) | 14 (79.3) | |
| Lack of time | 10 (45.5) | 18 (43.9) | 21 (72.4) | G-R |
| Machine not accessible | 9 (40.9) | 32 (78.0) | 6 (20.7) | F-G, G-R |
| Not billable | 7 (31.8) | 14 (34.1) | 4 (13.8) | |
| Other | 3 (13.6) | 2 (4.9) | 11 (37.9) | G-R |
*
Respondents could choose more than one response.
†
P<.05 for the specified subgroup comparisons
Abbreviations: POCUS, point-of-care ultrasound; F, faculty; G, graduates; R, residents.