Ria Dancel, MD, FACP, SFHM, FAAP, Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics in the UNC Division of Hospital Medicine, collaborated with a group of academic teaching physicians to develop the first expert and evidence-based consensus on the core components of a point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) curriculum for internal medicine residency training in the United States. Their effort provides a structured foundation for residency programs to adopt or adapt, ensuring greater consistency and quality in POCUS education nationwide.
Dr. Dancel and the expert panel employed a four-step modified Delphi methodology to reach consensus. The panel included 14 POCUS experts from internal medicine residency programs across the country, representing both inpatient and outpatient practice settings. Consensus was defined as at least 75% agreement on which POCUS indications, applications, and skills should be considered core elements of residency training.
The panel reached consensus on 12 core diagnostic and 6 procedural indications, including commonly encountered clinical scenarios such as dyspnea, shock, and chest pain, and procedures like thoracentesis and paracentesis. They also endorsed 15 diagnostic POCUS applications such as; focused cardiac, lung, gallbladder, and urinary bladder ultrasound.
In total, 52 specific skill components were identified as essential for resident proficiency, including the ability to identify pericardial effusion, cholelithiasis, and bladder volume estimation.
Dr. Dancels’ work marks an important milestone in standardizing internal medicine POCUS education and will serve as a critical resource for training programs nationwide.