Teaching Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) to Visiting Iraqi Physicians Using the Train-the-Trainer Model

Abstract

The development of emergency medicine is still in its early stages throughout Iraq because the concept of emergent patient care by appropriately trained physicians is not fully established.  Emergency medicine education is limited, and more specifically, bedside emergency ultrasound education is nonexistent.  Continued advancements in ultrasound equipment provide opportunities for point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to be a cost-effective diagnostic tool in rural and underdeveloped areas throughout the world.  As a component of The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences Global Health Program, faculty and residents from The University of Toledo Emergency Residency Program had the opportunity to train non-emergency medicine educated physicians from Iraq utilizing POCUS training as a tool to advance emergency medicine in this region.  Two Iraqi trained surgeons were placed into POCUS training sessions as participants of a one-month educational program to advance emergency medicine in Iraq.  The assessment of their ultrasound education pre-and post-training through bedside ultrasound teaching and image recognition revealed significant retention of knowledge and utilization of this modality that could be implemented in advancing emergency medicine in Iraq as part of a train-the-trainer program.