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Journal of Medical Education

Abstract

Background: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is widely used in emergency medicine (EM), but trends in familiarity and training needs in Taiwan remain unclear. This study aimed to assess trends in POCUS familiarity among EM physicians in Taiwan. Methods: This nationwide, questionnaire-based descriptive study was conducted in Taiwan during 2019 and 2023. EM physicians actively practicing in emergency departments were surveyed; those not practicing emergency medicine were excluded. The questionnaire evaluated demographic characteristics, overall POCUS familiarity using a 10-point scale, most familiar core emergency applications, and least familiar applications. Descriptive statistics summarized data, with Likert scale responses reported as medians with interquartile ranges. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. The study adhered to CROSS guidelines. Results: A total of 55 and 42 valid responses were obtained in 2019 and 2023, respectively, with 98.2% and 95.2% of responses from academic hospitals across Taiwan's regions. Median familiarity scores were 7 (6-8) in 2019 and 8 (6-8) in 2023. Abdominal, lung, and cardiac POCUS consistently ranked as the most familiar applications in both surveys. In contrast, soft tissue ultrasound was the least familiar in 2019 but rose to second in familiarity in 2023. Genital ultrasound remained among the least familiar applications, ranking third in 2019 and in 2023. Notably, ultrasound-guided anesthesia emerged as the least familiar application in 2023. Conclusions: Core POCUS application familiarity remains high among Taiwanese EM physicians. However, current educational approaches appear insufficient for some specific core applications, such as soft tissue ultrasound, genital ultrasound and ultrasound-guided anesthesia.

First Page

93

Last Page

101

DOI

10.6145/jme.202506_29(2).0005

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