Non-radiologist-performed point-of-care ultrasonography in paediatrics — European Society of Paediatric Radiology position paper

With the increased uptake of non-radiologist point-of-care US comes an increased need for education. For some specialties this has already become mandatory, e.g., in 2001 the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) mandated that all emergency medicine residents should be trained in non-radiologist point-of-care US. Despite this mandatory training, studies have shown that there is a difference in training opportunities between facilities [17]. In the United States, the Society for Clinical Ultrasound Fellowships (https://​eusfellowships.​com/​) lists 15 institutions that offer a fellowship in paediatric non-radiologist point-of-care US. Besides these official fellowships, there are commercial initiatives, including by manufacturers, that offer hands-on or online tutorials. It is of interest to note that many of these courses are organised and given without recognisable involvement from radiologists. The focus of education should not only be on applying non-radiologist point-of-care US as a technique, i.e. the acquisition of adequate images, as this inherently increases the risk of reducing it to a gimmick. There should also be a strong focus on the indications and contraindications of non-radiologist point-of-care US, on understanding the limitations of this method depending on the indication, as well as on incorporating findings in subsequent imaging examinations and in the patients’ treatment plans.

As education is an essential part of the success of implementing paediatric non-radiologist point-of-care US, and collaboration between first-line caregivers and paediatric radiologists is key to optimise patient care, we believe that paediatric radiologists should become involved in non-radiologist point-of-care US education. Such involvement of paediatric radiologists raises the question of the critical mass of these specialists needed to complete this education plan. We believe that an increase in the number of paediatric radiologists is required to be able to provide these services.

Ideally, this education should be offered in a modern blended learning environment where, with the use of a flipped classroom, hands-on training and online courses (e.g., a massive open online course), an optimal educational environment is created for the trainee. If clinicians are properly trained in non-radiologist point-of-care US they will not only be able to provide proper patient care, but they will also be aware of the limits of their capabilities and know when to consult a radiologist.

In the European Union, most, if not all, countries adhere to the European Training Curriculum for Radiology, which describes requirements to be met on three levels of expertise: undergraduate radiology, radiology and subspecialisation in radiology [18]. Based on the criteria in these documents, trainees can be credentialed at the various levels of expertise. This expertise can be certified by sitting a general European radiology exam leading to the European Diploma in Radiology (EDiR) [19]. A next step would be to obtain a subspecialty diploma, for example in paediatric radiology (EDiPR) [20] or paediatric neuroradiology (EDiPNR). It is clear that a non-radiologist will not be able to meet the demands set in these diplomas nor should we expect them to. However, there is a need for credentialing non-radiologists who want to become involved in non-radiologist point-of-care US. Whereas the AAP in its policy statement states that credentialing is important, it doesn’t specify how this should be done or what levels of expertise should be met to achieve it. The ACGME and the American Board of Emergency Medicine have defined competency levels for emergency medical training, one of which describes the sequential learning process for non-radiologist point-of-care US [21]. This could serve as a foundation for future credentialing, where the level of expertise to be achieved should be realistically set keeping in mind the overall aim of non-radiologist point-of-care US. Although ideally the aim should be a pan-European credentialing system, for now this seems to be a bridge too far to cross. Therefore, credentialing should be organised on a national or even an institutional level. With respect to a credentialing board it seems logical that, as paediatric radiologists are the experts in the field, they should be actively involved.

Radiologists are mandated to follow dedicated post-academic education to maintain proficiency in radiologic procedures in their subspecialty. As non-radiologists are not bound by the guidelines dictating radiology training, facilities that allow non-radiologist point-of-care US should have some form of quality control in place. Multiple societies already have published non-radiologist point-of-care US guidelines that include paragraphs on quality control. Part of the quality control program should focus on quality and updating of equipment, diagnostic quality of technique/applied protocol (e.g., the number and specifications of views per indication), diagnostic quality of the acquired images (e.g., appropriateness of settings), appropriateness of interpretation of imaging findings and feedback on the clinical impact of the study. Ideally, institutions or societies should have a committee of experts to carry out quality control. We believe there should be a place for a paediatric radiologist in such a committee as they are the true experts in the use of paediatric US.

In line with a remark in the AAP position statement, the ESPR believes non-radiologist point-of-care US should be limited to guiding specific interventions, such as line placement and suprapubic punctures, or to those studies that are performed to promptly answer specific diagnostic yes/no questions [22]. This approach contrasts the comprehensive US examination performed by paediatric radiologists as an integrated part of an imaging work-up, including a detailed assessment of the actual region, with colour and spectral Doppler, elastography or intravenous contrast added as appropriate. Within Europe, the training should be in line with the European Training Curriculum for Radiology where, preferably for paediatric radiology, subspecialty training has been undertaken [23, 24]. The question arises of which studies can be performed as non-radiologist point-of-care US after a limited period of training and supervision. All radiologists will have several anecdotal cases in which non-radiologist point-of-care US missed the diagnosis thus leading to a delay in the diagnosis and potential damage to the patient. However, this remains anecdotal as there are no studies into the true extent, if at all present, of this problem. Non-radiologist point-of-care US can be divided into five domains, as specified by the American College of Emergency Physicians, covering a wide range of indications (Table 1). Although this division into domains is useful, it does not prioritize which aspects should be taught to and performed by a non-radiologist. Using the Delphi Technique, an international team of members of the Paediatric Emergency Medicine POCUS Network (P2Network) determined which indications should be incorporated in its fellowship training (Table 2) [22]. An almost overlapping list of indications can be created by combining the publications from the Society of Hospital Medicine and the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (Table 3) [15, 23]. Both these lists, however, go beyond a simple diagnostic yes/no question and require in-depth knowledge of clinical radiology and diagnostic and interventional US. An example is diagnosing appendicitis, which may indeed be straightforward to diagnose if the appendix is easy to visualise but, in daily practice, this is often difficult and can be challenging even for advanced radiology residents. A similar case can be made for the diagnosis of intussusception. In very straightforward cases, which meet all the clinical criteria for the diagnosis, it is a relatively simple diagnosis with well-known false-positive and false-negative findings. However, only about 30% of paediatric cases present with the classic clinical criteria, and the imaging findings are also used to decide the method of treatment; therefore, the use of non-radiologist point-of-care US could even lead to a delay in treatment [24]. In several domains, including acute abdominal pain in children, age, symptoms and initial US findings will guide the paediatric radiologist to modify the technique, potentially assess other areas like the inguinal canal or the lung bases and pay attention to detail to reach a correct diagnosis. Therefore, in a classic clinical scenario, non-radiologist point-of-care US could also lead to additional costs and potentially delay the diagnostic/treatment process. With respect to interventional procedures, there has been a strong shift toward subspecialisation in this field, exemplified by abscess drainage, where, unless very superficial, the procedure not only requires a dedicated skill set but also a dedicated environment and interventional equipment. Both will not be readily available to paediatricians performing non-radiologist point-of-care US.

Whereas in comprehensive US it is obvious that a timely and accessible report is key for good patient management, this is not the case for non-radiologist point-of-care US. For example, the AAP policy statement says, “Details of the point-of-care ultrasonography examination must be documented at the time of performance in the medical record,” and the Society of Hospital Medicine policy statement says, “Documentation can occur through a standalone note or as part of another note, such as a progress note” [15, 25]. From a radiologist’s perspective, these recommendations are insufficient as they don’t specifically describe that the report should be easily findable and in the correct chronology by other health care providers. Incorporating the findings in a progress note will almost definitely lead to a loss of information [26, 27]. Progress notes or scanned documents are unstructured data from which it is difficult, if not impossible, to retrieve relevant information. Moreover, non-radiologist point-of-care US performers, similar to radiologists, may incorporate structured reporting in their clinical practice and should consider its different forms, its specific targets and its specific demands [28]. Consequently, it should be mandatory for clinicians to report the non-radiologist point-of-care US studies much the same as radiologists treat their reports, structured in a separate findable report and not hidden in clinical notes or a letter.