Summative Clinical Competency Assessment: A Survey of Ultrasound Practitioners’ Views

Clinical competency and the assessment of core skills is a crucial element of any programme leading to an award with a clinical skills component. This has become a more prominent feature of current reports on quality health care provision. This project aimed to determine ultrasound practitioners’ opinions about how best to assess clinical competency. An on-line questionnaire was sent to contacts from the Consortium for the Accreditation of Sonographic Education and details distributed at the British Medical Ultrasound Society conference in 2011. 116 responses were received from a range of clinical staff, with an interest in ultrasound assessment. The majority of respondents suggested that competency assessments should take place in the clinical departments with or without an element of assessment at the education centre. Moderation was an important area highlighted by respondents, with 84% of respondents suggesting two assessors were required and 66% of those stating some element of external moderation should be included. The findings suggest that respondents’ preference is for some clinical competency assessments to take place on routine lists within the clinical department, assessed by two people one of which would be an external assessor. In view of recent reports relating to training and assessment of health care professionals, the ultrasound profession needs to begin the debate about how best to assess clinical competence and ensure appropriate first post competency of anyone undertaking ultrasound examinations

Musculoskeletal ultrasound imaging - An exploration of physiotherapists' interests and use in practice

Background Musculoskeletal ultrasound imaging (MSKUSI) has gained popularity; several professions have expressed an interest in this application but the clinical use by physiotherapists has not been fully researched. Objectives To explore physiotherapists’ interests and use of MSKUSI in practice. Design Sequential mixed-methods; questionnaire followed by semi-structured interviews. Method A questionnaire was developed and distributed to gain initial information, (75 responses). Analysis informed topic-guide development and enabled a purposive-sampling strategy for semi-structured interviews that explored physiotherapists’ interests, education and clinical use of MSKUSI (n = 11). Interview data were analysed thematically. Results Five themes were identified: 1. Professional skill set – physiotherapists’ suitability for MSKUSI. 2. Factors that have impacted physiotherapists’ ability to use MSKUSI. 3. Physiotherapists’ motivation to use ultrasound - improving patient focused care. 4. Quality assurance strategies. 5. Application of biopsychosocial model. Themes revealed links between physiotherapists’ core skills, knowledge and professional experiences that align with MSKUSI requirements. Some participants reported support accessing education but many described challenges finding appropriate mentorship. Participants observed education did not always reflect practice typical of physiotherapists. Application of clinical reasoning processes utilised by physiotherapists was regarded as integral to patient-focused scanning. Conclusions Physiotherapists’ professional training and musculoskeletal practice are seen as a foundation for education in MSKUSI. Accessing education can be challenging, in particular mentorship that fully incorporates the biopsychosocial model. Proposed roles for MSKUSI for physiotherapists include verification of clinical assessment findings for diagnosis and facilitation of patient education. The potential to streamline patient pathways and optimise resource management warrants investigation

The role of radiographers in ultrasound: A survey of the national societies within the European Federation of Radiographer Societies (EFRS)

INTRODUCTION: Ultrasound is one of many areas of specialism for radiographers to develop their skills in. As part of a wider suite of surveys, the European Federation of Radiographer Societies (EFRS) wanted to investigate the extent and scope of practice for radiographers practising ultrasound across Europe. This report details the results of the initial survey, exploring the views of the EFRS countries' National Radiographer Societies. METHODS: An electronic survey was sent to representatives of the 43 national radiographer societies who were members of the EFRS. Questions asked about radiographer practice in ultrasound within individual countries, scope of the role, particularly report writing, in addition to investigating current ultrasound education, barriers and opinions on priorities for radiographer ultrasound practice. RESULTS: Forty individual responses were received, from a total of 27 countries, covering 62.8% of the EFRS member societies invited to participate. Radiologists or specialised medical practitioners performed ultrasound in the majority of countries. Radiographers practise ultrasound in 48% of countries and 11% have some limited involvement in ultrasound. Countries without radiographer engagement in ultrasound reported legislative issues or lack of acceptance from the medical professions (52%) and/or limited specific ultrasound education (39%) as predominant factors. In most countries where radiographers practise ultrasound, clinical reporting is a descriptive report or checklist approved by a medical doctor/radiologist. CONCLUSION: The results highlight the scope of practice and barriers faced in some EFRS countries to enabling radiographers to develop their skills and competencies in ultrasound. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Priorities for radiographer societies to assist in the development of ultrasound as a pathway for radiographer progression in countries, where it is not yet available, include education programmes, acceptance by medical professionals and changes to legislation