Sonographers role in enhancing POCUS training

Sonographers are tertiary qualified health professionals whose expertise is the acquisition, measurement, and interpretation of diagnostic ultrasound (US) images. Their competencies include in-depth knowledge of anatomy and physiology, psychomotor and cognitive skills for manipulating instrumentation and optimising images, plus the ability to recognise and communicate findings. Sonographers are not however the only health professionals who use US in the clinical environment. As it is non-ionising and can occur at a patient's bedside in real-time, many health professionals use US to aid diagnosis and management, especially in intensive care and emergency medicine where its use is termed point-of-care US (POCUS). As imaging often occurs in a discipline specific setting, the sonographic practice of sonographers and of health professionals is in one sense similar: however, the proficiency and objectives are different. For sonographers, high quality images and precise measurements are essential, while fixed protocols have limited value (as thorough evaluation of anatomy and function mean they must operate beyond set frameworks). In contrast, health professionals image quality and measurement precision may be compromised to expedite decision-making, while abbreviated scanning protocols are often of considerable value: the imaging skills taught, and the methods used to teach POCUS should therefore be distinct. Given the imaging competencies held by sonographers, they are very well suited to enhance the sonographic training of other health professionals. For optimal instruction, sonographers also need to understand the different imaging objectives of health professionals.