Need for Point of Care Ultrasonography Training and Certification in Pediatric Nephrology

Abstract

There is no doubt that point of care ultrasonography (POCUS) is an invaluable bedside tool that improves the sensitivity of traditional physical examination. POCUS is being increasingly adopted by health care professionals from various medical specialties and the evidence supporting its use is rapidly growing. In fact, the American Medical Association has released a statement way before in 1999, that “ultrasound imaging is within the scope of practice of appropriately trained physicians” [1]. In addition, recent advances in miniaturization allowed high quality, relatively low-cost imaging systems to proliferate as bedside diagnostic tools. However, most adult and pediatric nephrology training programs have not yet fully embraced this rapidly evolving field. The major barriers include lack of trained faculty, the cost associated with the equipment, and the absence of specialty-specific guidelines defining the scope of practice and competency assessment.