ACR Meeting Abstracts

ACR Meeting Abstracts

Abstract Number: 1152

Implementation of a Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Teaching Program Is Not Determined By Fellowship Program Size

Karina Marianne D. Torralba1, Amy C. Cannella2, Eugene Y. Kissin3, Gurjit S. Kaeley4, Amy M. Evangelisto5, Midori Jane Nishio6,7, Paul John De Marco8, Jay B. Higgs9, Cong-Bin Wang1, Jonathan Samuels10 and Minna J. Kohler11, 1Rheumatology, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, 2Section of Rheumatology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 3Boston University, Boston, MA, 4University of Florida, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, 5Arthritis, Rheumatic and Back Disease Associates, Voorhees, NJ, 6Private Practice - Walnut Creek CA, Walnut Creek, CA, 7John Muir Hospital, Walnut Creek, CA, 8Private Practice, Wheaton, MD, 9San Antonio Uniformed Services, San Antonio, TX, 10Department of Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, 11Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Meeting: 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting

Date of first publication: September 28, 2016

Keywords:

Session Information

Date: Monday, November 14, 2016

Title: Education - Poster

Session Type: ACR Poster Session B

Session Time: 9:00AM-11:00AM

Background/Purpose: In 2008, 18% of rheumatology fellowship program (RFP) program directors (PDs) included musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) in their training programs. Overall goal of this study was to assess the current state and ascertain the needs for MSUS education among RFPs. The objective of this study was to determine if fellowship program size impacts inclusion of MSUS in training.

Methods: Out of two surveys sent via QualtricsTM in 2015, a 13-item needs assessment survey was sent to all RFP PDs determining implementation of MSUS teaching including machine accessibility, faculty training, and institutional support. The second survey assessed teaching and evaluation methods used. For the first survey, Fischer’s Exact Test was used to test differences between fellowship programs based on size. Small programs were defined as programs with 1-2 fellows yearly, while big programs were those with at least 3 fellows yearly.

Results: Out of 113 RFPs, 103 (91%) PDs responded to the needs assessment survey. In total, 94% of RFPs are currently offering some form of MSUS training. Of 73 small programs, 91.8% offered MSUS training; 97.1% of big programs offered MSUS training. By large, there was no statistically significant difference between small and big programs (p=0.429). Majority of both small and big programs (81.8 vs. 93.9%) cited at least one faculty who was competent in performing MSUS (p=0.212). Majority of the teaching was done by a key clinical faculty member other than the PD (39.7% vs. 54.5%). Majority owned an US machine (72.1 vs. 87.9%; p=0.037). When asked if they wanted MSUS to be part of the Rheumatology fellowship training curriculum, majority wanted its inclusion however most wanted it only to be optional (66.2% vs. 66.7%), as compared to those wanted it to be a standard requirement (29.4% vs. 30.3%).

Conclusion: MSUS has become prevalent among RFPs. The size of a fellowship program is not a factor in determining inclusion of a MSUS teaching program. Small programs have comparable capacity to include MSUS in teaching programs when compared to big programs. There is openness to including MSUS in Rheumatology fellowship training, whether as an optional or standard part of the curriculum.

Disclosure: K. M. D. Torralba, GlaxoSmithKline, 9,ACR, USSONAR, 9; A. C. Cannella, None; E. Y. Kissin, None; G. S. Kaeley, None; A. M. Evangelisto, None; M. J. Nishio, None; P. J. De Marco, None; J. B. Higgs, None; C. B. Wang, None; J. Samuels, None; M. J. Kohler, None.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Torralba KMD, Cannella AC, Kissin EY, Kaeley GS, Evangelisto AM, Nishio MJ, De Marco PJ, Higgs JB, Wang CB, Samuels J, Kohler MJ. Implementation of a Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Teaching Program Is Not Determined By Fellowship Program Size [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2016; 68 (suppl 10). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/implementation-of-a-musculoskeletal-ultrasound-teaching-program-is-not-determined-by-fellowship-program-size/. Accessed .

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