I joined in the recent WINFOCUS World Congress 2021 Virtual Conference. The timezone wasn’t too bad running from 4pm AEST to 1 or 2 am in the morning over the long weekend. There were 2 streams running concurrently so I did jump around from session to session and speaker to speaker as you do with these things (much easier to do it virtually than at a real face to face conference!) I made some brief notes around areas of interest that were the highlights for me: POCUS COMPETENCY/ASSESSMENT Irene Ma (Canada) compared assessing with a checklist versus a global rating scale. Global rating scales otherwise called entrustability scales/scores are superior to checklists (eg the CCPU ASUM module checklists) IF the raters/educators/examiners are POCUS experts otherwise if not, use a checklist but you need to define what the critical items are in the checklist as an error with just 1 critical item can affect overall competence assessment. UNDERGRADUATE POCUS EDUCATION Richard Hoppman (USA) advised that automated ultrasound image evaluation using AI has already arrived so once POCUS educators are trying to review large numbers of POCUS images from medical students (or doctors in training) then this will reduce that burden as without AI help it will become overwhelming. CREDENTIALING/COURSES Jim Connolly (UK) supported the POCUS finishing school concept as working well so the workshop model is flipped to the end of the training rather than at the beginning. Attendees bring their logbooks and other evidence of experience and then the finishing school is run over 2 days: polishing/preparation on Day 1 and assessment on Day 2 Bob Jarman (UK) gave us more acronyms for medical courses including those with POCUS. In the UK, for those doing ICU there is the FICE (Focused Intensive Care Echocardiography) Course which is a step up from basic echo courses like FEEL (Focused Echocardiography Evaluation in Life support), and for acute medicine there is the FAMUS (Focused Acute Medicine Ultrasound) Course ECHO MEASUREMENTS Massimiliano Meineri (Germany) mentioned a nice rule for measurements of the heart in PSL view: 1,2,3,4,5 rule (1cm Posterior Wall LV), (2cm Aortic Root), (3cm RV outflow tract), (4cm LA), (5cm LVEDV). Another doctor listening in gave his rule of thumb which was similar: 1/1.5/2.5/3.5/4.5/5.5 (posterior wall LV/IV Septum/Aortic Root/RVOT/LA/LVEDV in that order) GIT ULTRASOUND In paediatrics, Inbal Kestenbaum (Israel) gave a neat reminder for normal pylorus size in infant being assessed for pyloric stenosis – just remember Pi from
mathematics which = 3.14 so the normal pylorus maximum width is 3mm and maximum length is 14mm. All the best on your POCUS journey, Allan Whitehead, FACEM Wonthaggi Hospital, Bass Coast Health, CCPU (Otago) CCPU (ASUM)