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CC BY 4.0 · Ultraschall Med
DOI: 10.1055/a-2771-2848
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Point-of-care ultrasound in primary care – EFSUMB core curriculum and training recommendations, a position paper

Point-of-Care-Ultraschall in der Primärversorgung – EFSUMB-Basis-Curriculum und Ausbildungsempfehlungen, ein Positionspapier

Authors

  • Camilla Aakjær Andersen 

    1   Center for General Practice at Aalborg University, Aalborg University Faculty of Medicine, Aalborg, Denmark (Ringgold ID: RIN373848)
    2   European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, EFSUMB, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  • Christian Jenssen

    3   Department of Internal Medicine, Krankenhaus Märkisch-Oderland GmbH, Strausberg/Wriezen, Germany (Ringgold ID: RIN116976)
    4   Medical University Brandenburg, Brandenburg Institute of Clinical Ultrasound (BICUS), Neuruppin, Germany
    2   European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, EFSUMB, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  • Aaron Poppleton

    5   School of Medicine, Keele University, Newcastle-under-Lyme, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Ringgold ID: RIN4212)
    6   The European Family Medicine Ultrasound Society, EFMUS, n/a, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  • Eva Leceaga

    7   Primary Care Center Ronda Prim, Direction of Primary Health Care Barcelones North and Maresme, Catalan Institute of Health, Mataró, Spain (Ringgold ID: RIN37494)
    8   EcoAP Working Group on Ultrasound in Primary Care, Catalan Society of Family and Community Medicine Assoc, Barcelona, Spain (Ringgold ID: RIN636307)
    9   European Young Family Doctors Movement, EYFDM, n/a, Slovenia

  • Mateusz Kosiak

    10   Puck Medical Centre, Puck Medical Centre, Puck, Poland
    11   Sonographic educational platform for physicians and medical students, eduson.pl, Krosinko, Poland

  • Mihai Sorin Iacob 

    12   Centre for Preventive Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Victor Babes Timisoara, Timisoara, Romania (Ringgold ID: RIN162271)
    13   European Ultrasound Working Group in Ambulatory Healthcare, EUVEKUS, Vienna, Austria

  • Mariela Skendi

    14   Department of General Practice, Sorbonne University, Paris, France (Ringgold ID: RIN27063)
    15   French Society for Ultrasound in General Medicine, SNECHO- MG, n/a, France
    16   Francophone Society of Ultrasound, Francophone Society of Ultrasound, n/a, France

  • Thomas Frese

    17   Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine, Martin-Luther-Universitat Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany (Ringgold ID: RIN9176)
    18   World Organization of National Colleges, Academies and Academic Associations of General Practitioners/Family Physicians, Wonca Europe, n/a, Slovenia (Ringgold ID: RIN416116)

  • Thomas Løkkegaard

    1   Center for General Practice at Aalborg University, Aalborg University Faculty of Medicine, Aalborg, Denmark (Ringgold ID: RIN373848)
    19   Danish Society for Ultrasound in General Practice, DAUS, n/a, Denmark

  • Vesna Homar

    20   Department of Family medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
    21   European Academy of Teachers in General Practice/Family Medicine, EURACT, n/a, Switzerland (Ringgold ID: RIN30895)

  • Viktor Rüttermann

    22   Hausärztliche Gemeinschaftspraxis Nordholter Weg, Medical practice Drensteinfurt, Drensteinfurt, Germany
    23   German Society for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, Working Group Primary Care, DEGUM, n/a, Germany

  • Caroline Ewertsen

    24   Department of Radiology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen OE, Denmark
    2   European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, EFSUMB, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
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English abstract: Frontline physicians working in primary care increasingly use diagnostic ultrasound examinations and simple ultrasound-guided procedures as part of their daily practice. Primary care is organized in many ways across Europe and as a result, primary care physicians have different qualifications in terms of using and integrating point-of-care ultrasound in patient care. To ensure high quality and standardized practice across Europe, this position paper of the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB) describes training recommendations and a generic core curriculum for frontline physicians working in primary care. The core curriculum was developed through a Delphi process and includes basic ultrasound examinations corresponding to the EFSUMB competence level 1 for medical ultrasound practice. The training recommendations are intended to build a common foundation while national adjustments must be made to ensure relevance in the clinical setting and patient population. German abstract: In der Primärversorgung tätige Ärzte setzen zunehmend diagnostische Ultraschalluntersuchungen und einfache ultraschallgesteuerte Verfahren als Teil ihrer täglichen Routine ein. Die Primärversorgung ist in Europa sehr unterschiedlich organisiert, sodass die Qualifikationen der Ärzte, die Point-of-Care-Ultraschall in der primären Patientenversorgung einsetzen und integrieren, sehr unterschiedlich sind. Mit dem Ziel, eine hohe Qualität und standardisierte Ausübungspraxis in ganz Europa zu gewährleisten, stellt dieses Positionspapier der European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB) Ausbildungsempfehlungen und ein PoCUS Basis-Curriculum für in der Primärversorgung tätige Ärzte vor. Das Basis-Curriculum wurde im Rahmen eines Delphi-Verfahrens entwickelt und umfasst grundlegende Ultraschalluntersuchungen, die dem EFSUMB-Kompetenzniveau 1 für die medizinische Ultraschallpraxis entsprechen. Die Ausbildungsempfehlungen sollen eine gemeinsame Grundlage schaffen, wobei durch nationale Anpassungen die Relevanz für das konkrete klinische Umfeld und die betreuten Patientengruppen sichergestellt werden muss.



Publication History

Received: 06 August 2025

Accepted after revision: 11 December 2025

Accepted Manuscript online:
12 December 2025

© . The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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