title: A UK wide survey on attitudes to point of care ultrasound training amongst clinicians working on the Acute Medical Unit.
abstract: The use of point of care ultrasound (POCU) is increasing across a number of specialties, becoming mandatory within some specialist training programmes (for example respiratory and emergency medicine). Despite this, there are few data looking at the prevalence of use or the training clinicians have undertaken; this survey sought to address this. It shows that the majority of POCU undertaken on the Acute Medical Unit (AMU) is without formal accreditation, with significant arriers to training highlighted including a lack of supervision, time and equipment. For those who undertook POCU, it was shown to regularly speed up clinical decision making, while 76.3% respondents believed a lack of access to POCU out of hours may affect patient safety. The data provide support to the concept of developing AMU specific POCU accreditation, to ensure robust and safe use of this modality on the AMU.
authors.affiliation: St6 Acute Internal Medicine, East Surrey Hospital, Redhill.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Smallwood
authors.affiliation: Consultant in Intensive Care and Acute Medicine, Royal Stoke University Hospitals, University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust.
authors.forename: Ramprasad
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Matsa
authors.affiliation: Consultant in Acute Medicine, Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lawrenson
authors.affiliation: Consultant in Respiratory and Acute Medicine, Royal Sussex County Hospital.
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Messenger
authors.affiliation: Consultant in Intensive Care and Acute Medicine, Royal Berkshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Walden