Assessment of Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Knowledge Among Lebanese Medical Residents

Yara A Mouawad; Fadi El Ters; Christeen Mina; Khalil Richa; Pascale Salameh; Ramzi Nakhle

doi:10.7759/cureus.69205

Assessment of Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Knowledge Among Lebanese Medical Residents

Cureus. 2024 Sep 11;16(9):e69205. doi: 10.7759/cureus.69205. eCollection 2024 Sep.

Authors

Yara A Mouawad¹, Fadi El Ters¹, Christeen Mina¹, Khalil Richa¹, Pascale Salameh^{2

3

4

5}, Ramzi Nakhle¹

Affiliations

¹ Emergency Department, Lebanese American University Medical Center, Beirut, LBN.
² Primary Care and Population Health, University of Nicosia Medical School, Nicosia, CYP.
³ Public Health, Institut National de Sante Publique, Epidemiologie Clinique et Toxicologie (INSPECT-LB), Beirut, LBN.
⁴ Faculty of Pharmacy, Lebanese University, Beirut, LBN.
⁵ School of Medicine, Lebanese American University, Beirut, LBN.

Abstract

Over the past few years, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has emerged as a critical diagnostic tool in emergency medicine, providing real-time imaging at the bedside. This study aims to assess POCUS knowledge and competency among medical residents in Lebanon, identify possible gaps and deficiencies in their training, and recommend guidelines for further improvement of the curriculum in Lebanese medical schools and residency programs. Our study reveals that 58.3% (N=119) of resident doctors from multiple specialties in Lebanon have only basic knowledge about POCUS, 19.6% (N=40) have no knowledge, and only 21.6% (N=44) have sufficient knowledge to perform diagnostic studies on a routine basis. Lebanese medical residents currently possess suboptimal POCUS knowledge and proficiency due to disparities in training and educational obstacles. To address this, residency programs should focus on standardized POCUS training, simulation-based learning, and faculty development. This approach will help ensure residents gain the necessary skills to use POCUS effectively in clinical practice.

Keywords: emergency department; emergency medicine; lebanon; medical education; point-of-care ultrasound (pocus); simulation training.