Do You See What I See? Is There a Relationship Between A Sonographer's Environment and Eye Strain?

very small number of trainees.To our knowledge, the ECHO model has not been utilized within the United States for POCUS training.Therefore, our team aimed to trial this method of education for POCUS training of practicing clinicians primarily in rural Indiana and then more broadly to any clinician across the United States.The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of the ECHO program to deliver POCUS education and training to healthcare providers within rural Indiana and across the United States.Methods: The POCUS ECHO program utilized zoom as the platform for providing educational support for the clinician participants.Participants were recruited through professional associations, local marketing campaigns, and word of mouth at conferences and events.Upon registering for the program, participants provided demographic information and background experience with POCUS.Participants were then invited to complete a pre-survey assessing their initial knowledge of POCUS.The program took place in two separate sixmonth blocks with a 4-month break separating each block.Sessions took place between December 2022 and February 2024.The program consisted of bi-weekly 90-minute sessions facilitated by a team of experts, known as the "Hub Team."This team was responsible for identifying the target audience, scheduling recurring sessions, and designing curricular topics.Each session included a presentation on relevant POCUS concepts followed by a deidentified patient case to illustrate a practical application.Weekly presentations were delivered by members of the "Hub Team" with advanced POCUS knowledge and experience or by invitation to other clinicians with advanced POCUS knowledge and skill.Participants were encouraged to sign up and then present a POCUS case during the bi-weekly sessions.All participants were encouraged to discuss all aspects of the case, including why POCUS was performed, the technical aspect of the images, the interpretation of the POCUS exam and its application to the patient's care.Participants were asked to provide feedback after each session and at the conclusion of the POCUS ECHO.Feedback was collected at the end of each session to evaluate participants' satisfaction.Data from pre-surveys and session feedback were analyzed to gauge improvements in future POCUS sessions.Results: 243 learners participated in at least one ECHO session and completed a pre-survey.Approximately half or participants, 117 (48.1%), were Family Medicine physicians, while 55 (22.6%) were Internal Medicine physicians.Most participants, 74.5%, considered themselves primary care specialists.Of those who practiced primary care 38 (22.2%) indicated they primarily practiced in a rural environment, and 67 (39.2%) practiced in an urban environment, while 77 (62%) did not indicate their primary practice location.Prior to the participation in ECHO, 115 (47.5%) participants indicated they had never performed a POCUS examination.The largest barriers to utilizing POCUS identified by participants were "time constraints" by 35.5% of participants, comfort level with