Collaboration To Develop Guidelines For Point-Of-Care Ultrasound Applications Spearheaded By AIUM

The AIUM recently hosted Ultrasound Practice Forum: Point-of-Care Use of Ultrasound in Orlando, Florida. This ground-breaking conference brought together a cross section of the ultrasound community, drawing representatives from 46 medical and other health-related societies to explore professional issues related to emerging point-of-care ultrasound technologies.

"The AIUM Forum aimed to facilitate an open dialogue among the entire ultrasound community regarding performance and training issues for point-of-care applications", said AIUM President Harvey L. Nisenbaum, MD. "With ultrasound playing an expanding role in several settings, the ultrasound community must collaborate to ensure the most effective use of the technology."

Participants at the Forum were divided into 3 tracks focusing on point-of-care ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology, ultrasound-guided procedures, and emergency medicine/ critical care. Attendees included obstetricians, gynecologists, emergency physicians, radiologists, sports medicine physicians, osteopathic physicians, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, sonographers, nurses, nurse midwives, physician assistants, physical therapists and others.

A range of professional concerns were discussed in each track. The obstetrics and gynecology track deliberated the definition of limited obstetric ultrasound and the corresponding education and training requirements. The discussion about ultrasound-guided procedures focused on the need for performance and training guidelines for joint injections, aspirations, nerve blocks, and biopsies. In the emergency medicine/critical care group, topics included currently available guidelines, emergent uses of ultrasound, competency issues, challenges to training, and the common ground among specialists.

The forum resulted in collaborative initiatives and educational objectives that will help promote the most effective use of ultrasound imaging and the highest quality patient care as point-of-care applications continue to advance. The AIUM looks forward to making further developments from the Forum available to the ultrasound community as they are completed.

Source:
Erin Chrapaty
American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine

Labels:

Better Imaging From Bench To Bedside

Euro-BioImaging, a project which launches its preparatory phase, aims to provide scientists throughout Europe with open access to state-of-the-art imaging technologies at all levels of biological and biomedical research, from bench to bedside.

From microscopy to computer tomography (CT) scans, imaging plays an important role in biological and biomedical research, but obtaining high-quality images often requires advanced technology and expertise, and can be costly. Euro-BioImaging, a project which launches its preparatory phase today, aims to provide scientists throughout Europe with open access to state-of-the-art imaging technologies at all levels of biological and biomedical research, from bench to bedside. The project is part of the European Commission's European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) roadmap.

During the 3-year preparatory phase that starts today, Euro-BioImaging will develop a plan to construct and operate a set of complementary and strongly interlinked imaging infrastructure facilities. This plan will be based on a comprehensive assessment of researchers' needs in terms of access, service, and training. Euro-BioImaging will also establish the legal, governmental and financial framework for such infrastructures, and seek agreements with funding bodies. Eligibility criteria for participating facilities will be defined, an independent evaluation panel will be established, and a call for applications will be announced.

"Euro-BioImaging will support research, training and innovation in biological and biomedical imaging on a pan-European level, by providing imaging services with an overarching strategic plan," says Jan Ellenberg from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), scientific coordinator for biological imaging.

Euro-BioImaging aims to bring together key research areas, from basic biological imaging and molecular imaging to the clinical and epidemiological level of medical imaging. The project intends to address the current fragmentation of imaging infrastructure in Europe, by creating a coordinated and harmonised plan for its deployment throughout the continent. It will provide scientists in Europe with open access to state-of-the-art imaging technologies and training, continuously developing imaging technologies to offer cutting-edge services to the scientific community.

"Given the broad range of imaging technologies coordinated through Euro-BioImaging, the research infrastructure will facilitate the translation from basic results to medical applications," says Stefan Schönberg from the University Medical Centre Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, scientific coordinator for biomedical imaging on behalf of the European Institute for Biomedical Imaging Research (EIBIR).

As one of the project's aims is to keep Europe at the forefront of technological innovation in this area, commercial opportunities are expected to arise. To make the most of them when they do, Euro-BioImaging has already started to form an industry board in which all leading vendors and producers of biomedical imaging equipment in Europe are represented.

Labels: