Nti, Benjamin K.Phillips, WhitneySarmiento, ElisaRussell, Frances2023-09-062023-09-062022-10-21Nti BK, Phillips W, Sarmiento E, Russell F. Effect of a point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) curriculum on emergency department soft tissue management. Ultrasound J. 2022;14(1):41. Published 2022 Oct 21. doi:10.1186/s13089-022-00292-4https://hdl.handle.net/1805/35390Background: Pediatric emergency department (ED) visits for superficial skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) have steadily been increasing and point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) continues to be an effective modality to improve management and shorter ED length of stays (LOS). Objective: We sought to determine the impact of a soft tissue POCUS curriculum on POCUS utilization, ED LOS, and cost-effectiveness. Methods: This was a retrospective pre- and post-interventional study of pediatric patients aged 0 to 17 years. Patients presenting to ED with international classification of disease 9 or 10 code for abscess or cellulitis were included. Data were collected a year before and after curriculum implementation with a 1-year washout training period. Training included continuing medical education, greater than 25 quality assured examinations, and a post-test. We compared diagnostic imaging type, ED LOS, and mean charges in patients with SSTI. Results: We analyzed data on 119 total patients, 38 pre- and 81 post-intervention. We found a significant increase in the total number of POCUS examinations performed pre- to post-curriculum intervention, 26 vs. 59 (p = 0.0017). Mean total charges were significantly decreased from $3,762 (± 270) to $2,622 (± 158; p = 0.0009). There was a significant trend towards a decrease in average ED LOS 282 (standard error of mean [SEM] ± 19) vs 185 (± 13) minutes (p = 0.0001). Conclusions: Implementation of a soft tissue POCUS curriculum in a pediatric ED was associated with increased POCUS use, decreased LOS, and lower cost. These findings highlight the importance of POCUS education and implementation in the management of pediatric SSTI.en-USAttribution 4.0 InternationalCurriculumEducationEmergency departmentInfectionPediatricsPoint-of-care ultrasoundSoft tissueArticle