Laurel, MD – The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) recently hosted Ultrasound Practice Forum: Point-of-Care Use of Ultrasound on November 8 in Orlando, Florida. This ground-breaking conference brought together a cross section of the ultrasound community, drawing representatives from 46 medical and other health-related societies to explore professional issues related to emerging point-of-care ultrasound technologies.
"The AIUM Forum aimed to facilitate an open dialogue among the entire ultrasound community regarding performance and training issues for point-of-care applications", said AIUM President Harvey L. Nisenbaum, MD. "With ultrasound playing an expanding role in several settings, the ultrasound community must collaborate to ensure the most effective use of the technology."
Participants at the Forum were divided into 3 tracks focusing on point-of-care ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology, ultrasound-guided procedures, and emergency medicine/ critical care. Attendees included obstetricians, gynecologists, emergency physicians, radiologists, sports medicine physicians, osteopathic physicians, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, sonographers, nurses, nurse midwives, physician assistants, physical therapists and others.
A range of professional concerns were discussed in each track. The obstetrics and gynecology track deliberated the definition of limited obstetric ultrasound and the corresponding education and training requirements. The discussion about ultrasound-guided procedures focused on the need for performance and training guidelines for joint injections, aspirations, nerve blocks, and biopsies. In the emergency medicine/critical care group, topics included currently available guidelines, emergent uses of ultrasound, competency issues, challenges to training, and the common ground among specialists.
The forum resulted in collaborative initiatives and educational objectives that will help promote the most effective use of ultrasound imaging and the highest quality patient care as point-of-care applications continue to advance. The AIUM looks forward to making further developments from the Forum available to the ultrasound community as they are completed.
About AIUM
The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine is a multidisciplinary medical association of more than 8600 physicians, sonographers, and scientists dedicated to advancing the safe and effective use of ultrasound in medicine through professional and public education, research, development of guidelines, and accreditation.