When
- Thursday 23 April
- 3:00pm to 4:30pm AEST
- 5:00pm to 6.30pm NZST
- 1:00pm to 2.30pm AWST
This activity will meet 1.5 ACEM CPD hours.
Part 1 – Overview of POCUS utility in paediatric emergencies, with case examples from the forthcoming ACEM PEM POCUS online module
In the first part of this webinar, we will discuss local and international evidence supporting the use of POCUS in diagnosing critical pathophysiological changes in children and neonates, as well as exploring case studies that demonstrate its use in EDs.
International evidence-based guidelines on POCUS for critically ill neonates and children were published in 2020 (1). These include moderate to good quality of evidence and agreement for its focused role in diagnosing pericardial effusion, pneumothorax, pleural effusions, pneumonia, pulmonary oedema, free abdominal fluid and bowel peristalsis, as well as improving procedural outcomes.
At a basic level, POCUS also has value in assessing rectal distension in constipation, establishing bladder volume and the presence/absence of free peritoneal fluid prior to comprehensive imaging, identifying the presence/absence of a drainable abscess collection, and establishing hip joint effusions in paediatric limp. These procedures may improve parental understanding of physiology, diagnosis and management, and contribute to emergency department patient flow.
Part 2 – How to embed a rigorous PEM POCUS program at your paediatric ED
The second half of this webinar will explore how each of us can work to implement a PEM POCUS program in our workplaces with a goal of improving the health outcomes for our young patients.
POCUS adoption in the paediatric setting in Australian emergency departments has been slow for a variety of reasons including higher stakes, tertiary and interdepartmental anxiety, the steep learning curve, and confusion around the utility and meaning of findings.
ACEM mandating core POCUS skills training, including recommending the structure of focused ultrasound training program (COR 742) and a framework for credentialing (P733), has allowed progress in this area. These recommendations and the new ACEM PEM POCUS module provide a basis for developing in-house training and governance. We will consider practical responses to institutional obstacles, including reframing POCUS goals and understanding its context-defined place and limitations, and encourage viewers to find achievable next steps in their own POCUS learning journeys.
Group discussion: We hope to have broad representation from PEM POCUS clinicians to offer a variety of responses to questions.
1. Singh Y, Tissot C, Fraga MV, Yousef N, Cortes RG, Lopez J, et al. International evidence-based guidelines on Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) for critically ill neonates and children issued by the POCUS Working Group of the European Society of Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care (ESPNIC). Critical care (London, England). 2020;24(1):65.
Speaker
Dr Robyn Brady MBBS (Hon) FRACP FACEM DDU has been at the forefront of paediatric emergency care in Australia since the first year of Australian PEM Fellowships in 1994. Robyn was one of the first Advanced Paediatric Life Support instructors and the first dual trained PEM physician in Queensland. An early adopter of point-of-care ultrasound, Robyn co-wrote the emergency ultrasound chapters for the Textbook of Paediatric Emergency Medicine, and co-created the paediatric emergency ultrasound course for the Australian Institute of Ultrasound and the PEM POCUS module for ACEM. She is an emergency specialist and clinical ultrasound lead at both the Queensland Children's Hospital and Lismore Base Hospital. She also completed her Diploma of Diagnostic Ultrasound (Emergency) in 2024. In 2021 she was awarded Educator of the Year by the Australasian Society of Ultrasound in Medicine.
Not a member of the Paediatric Emergency Medicine Network?
Learn more and join here