Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40340841›Full record

ArticleBMC medical education2025

Continuing professional development for primary care physicians: a pre-post analysis of a focused abdominal point-of-care ultrasound pilot training.

Itamar Ben Shitrit, Karny Ilan, Moshe Shmueli, Ofri Karni, Ariel Avraham Hasidim, Assi Cicurel, Anna Quinn, Meir Israel Pinto, Oren Wacth, Lior Fuchs

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medical education, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Itamar Ben ShitritJoyce and Irving Goldman Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. itamar5772@gmail.com.
Karny IlanGeneral Surgery Department, Sheba Medical Center, Beer- Sheva, Israel.
Moshe ShmueliJoyce and Irving Goldman Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Ofri KarniJoyce and Irving Goldman Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Ariel Avraham HasidimDepartment of Pediatrics A, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tikva, Israel.
Assi CicurelJoyce and Irving Goldman Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Anna QuinnMedical School for International Health, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer- Sheva, Israel.
Meir Israel PintoJoyce and Irving Goldman Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Oren WacthDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Beer- Sheva, Beer- Sheva, Israel.
Lior FuchsJoyce and Irving Goldman Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionAbdominal pain is a leading cause of primary care visits and emergency department admissions. The recent surge in the implementation of point-of-care ultrasound into primary care underscores the necessity for specialized training to enhance the expertise of primary care physicians and foster a positive attitude toward its routine use in clinical activities.

methodsThis prospective cohort study, conducted between March and August 2023 at Ben Gurion University, introduced an integrative abdominal ultrasound program for 48 participating primary care physicians with no prior formal experience in abdominal ultrasound. Physicians' knowledge, practical skills, and attitudes towards abdominal ultrasound integration were evaluated using a pre/post-course clips-based pathology test, a hands-on exam immediately following the course, and a survey conducted ten weeks later.

resultsPost-course evaluations showed an improvement in primary care physicians' proficiency with hands-on skills, increasing from 26 to 69% (p < 0.001), with increased comfort using abdominal ultrasound (from 0 to 42%, p < 0.001) and enhanced understanding of its capabilities and limitations (from 0 to 58%, p < 0.001). Pattern recognition skills, assessed through clips, presented a notable rise from an average of 26% to 69% (p < 0.001). Ten weeks following the training, an increase in its utilization was observed; weekly usage rose from zero to 44%, and the proportion not using it declined from 94 to 19% (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively).

conclusionsAn integrative two-day training program increases the application of abdominal bedside ultrasound in clinical settings, demonstrating the effectiveness of combining practical training with flexible, theoretical learning.

Indexed as

AbdomenAbdominal PainEducation, Medical, ContinuingPhysicians, Primary CarePoint-of-Care SystemsAdultClinical CompetenceFemaleHumansMalePilot ProjectsProspective StudiesUltrasonographyMedical EducationOn-the-Job TrainingPrimary CareUltrasonography

Identifiers

PMID40340841
PMCPMC12063416

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.