Ultrasound Use in Anesthesiology and Intensive Care in the Nordic Countries-An International Survey on Availability, Frequency of Use, Operator Training, and Assessment.

Ultrasound is increasingly used in anesthesia and intensive care medicine for procedural guidance and patient assessment. However, training and formal skills assessment vary, and there is limited knowledge about current ultrasound practices in the Nordic countries. This study aims to survey the availability, daily clinical use, and current state of ultrasound training and skills assessment among anesthesiologists across the Nordic countries. An online cross-sectional survey, designed according to the Consensus-Based Checklist for Reporting of Survey Studies (CROSS) guidelines was distributed as a convenience sample across anesthesiology departments in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, covering a range of hospital types, including regional and university hospitals. The survey consisted of three sections: demographics, ultrasound availability, and procedural use, including skills development and assessment. Key measures included the frequency of ultrasound use, types of procedures where ultrasound was employed, training methods, self-assessed proficiency, and the frequency of formal skills assessments. An overall response rate of 38% (n = 412) was obtained. Ultrasound was used daily or weekly by 96% of respondents, and procedures where ultrasound was most frequently used were vascular access (97%) and peripheral nerve blocks (83%). Practical training was primarily acquired through clinical use under supervision from colleagues, with limited use of simulation-based training. Few respondents (27% across procedures) reported formal skills assessments, and self-assessed proficiency varied, with intermediate and beginner levels being the most common. Retention of skills was rarely assessed, with an average of 8% across procedures. Ultrasound is used almost daily by most anesthesiologists in the Nordic region, with equipment readily available in the departments. Despite its frequent use, training and skills assessments vary with limited focus on ensuring skills retention. EDITORIAL COMMENT: This article presents the results of a survey on ultrasound availability, usage and training for anesthesiologists working in the Nordic countries. Keeping in mind responder bias, the availability and usage is high, but there is a low level of reported formal training and skills assessment. This highlights a need for structured training and competency assessment for ultrasound, that could be offered via nordic collaboration.