NEW: Standardized ultrasound courses
European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR)
Paediatric musculoskeletal ultrasound (PedMSUS) has great potential in the evaluation of children with arthritis, and since 2012 several PedMSUS courses have been endorsed by EULAR – The European Alliance of Rheumatology Associations. But despite this, there has been no agreed educational procedure for the conduct, content and format of these courses. This is critical, since the ability of PedMSUS to correlate imaging findings with clinical assessment is highly dependent on operator expertise.
A task force was therefore set up to conduct a systemic literature review and collect expert opinion on a panel of items that should be included in all PedMSUS courses endorsed by EULAR and PReS – the Paediatric Rheumatology European aSsociation. The task force included 24 healthcare professionals and patient research partners from eight different countries.
The results set out four levels of procedures and items that should be considered for basic, intermediate, advanced, and teach-the-teachers PedMSUS courses. Within each course, there are recommendations for the appropriate content, format, and conduct.
Accurate knowledge and high-level training are mandatory to be able to correctly scan patients and make accurate and reliable image interpretations. This new work should support education in PedMSUS across Europe, and ensure consistent and standardized education and training on an increasingly requested imaging technique.
Source
About EULAR
EULAR is the European umbrella organisation representing scientific societies, health professional associations and organisations for people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). EULAR aims to reduce the burden of RMDs on individuals and society and to improve the treatment, prevention and rehabilitation of RMDs. To this end, EULAR fosters excellence in education and research in the field of rheumatology. It promotes the translation of research advances into daily care and fights for the recognition of the needs of people with RMDs by the EU institutions through advocacy action.
Contact
EULAR Communications, communications@eular.org
Notes to Editors
EULAR Recommendations
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