Partners

USabcd A/S offers a unique learning concept promoting the pervasive role of point-of-care ultrasound as a universal tool in management of the airway, breathing, circulation and dolor in the ill or injured patient ubiquitously. USabcd is cutting edge due to:

• the complete ABCD concept
• the dedicated pioneers within the field of anaesthesiology
• the unique interactive e-learning concept
• the 100% practical and structured hands-on workshops

We are always interested in new partnerships around the world. Being a partner allows you to set up cooperation with USabcd in order to run your own USabcd courses. Partners can also work as Chief Instructors in any other USabcd course held worldwide by other partners.

BACKGROUND
In 2008 Erik Sloth, Lars Knudsen and Thomas Fichtner Bendtsen founded the USabcd concept: UltraSound of Airway, Breathing, Circulation and Dolor. Their vision is global dissemination of point-of-care ultrasound as a universal tool to improve the quality of acute, critical and perioperative patient care. Their mission is to establish a global learning concept aiming at providing all clinical doctors monitoring and managing the airway, respiration, circulation and pain of acutely and critically ill patients with proficiency and core competency of clinical ultrasound.

USabcd A/S has established a multifunctional web platform for course administration and communication and an international partner system in order to disseminate point-of-care ultrasound proficiency and competency globally. The technology of our CMS (Content Management System) allows us to set up a customized web portal for you in your own department/organization and with your own labelling or branding.

FATE (Focused Assessment with Transthoracic Echocardiography) is the original focused cardiac ultrasound protocol for non-cardiologists. It was devised by Professor Erik Sloth in 1989 and has formed the successful basis of a vast number of hands-on FATE courses for more than 15 years. The FATE protocol is the mother of all focused cardiac ultrasound protocols. The FATE protocol provides an effective roadmap to identify and interpret pertinent echocardiographic findings in a clinical context.  FATE is easily and quickly learned and can be applied in all clinical scenarios and in all locations. The full interactive Basic FATE course has been successfully taught in countries like Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the US, the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, South Africa, India and Croatia.

The FATE protocol has been approved by The Intensive Care Society (ICS) in UK) for the Focused Intensive Care Echocardiography (FICE) accreditation.

THE LEARNING CONCEPT

At this stage the USabcd course concept offers the following learning packages:

  • Basic Ultrasound Physics
  • Basic & Advanced FATE
  • Basic, Advanced & Expert Ultrasound Guided Nerve Blocks
  • Basic & Advanced Lung Ultrasound
  • FAST
  • Ultrasound for Peripheral Vascular Access
  • Basic and Comprehensive TEE
  • Ultrasound Assessment of Gastric Content
  • Essential Emergency Ultrasonography
  • Airway Ultrasonography

The USabcd courses are based on combined e-learning and focused, structured, and comprehensive 1-day hands-on workshops. It is mandatory for the course attendees to complete the online e-learning program prior to a hands-on workshop. Each e-course consists of:

• interactive learning modules containing running tests
• a final test

The e-course and the test can be repeated again and again and allow the attendants to learn the theory at their own pace.

If you want to set up cooperation with USabcd A/S in order to run your own USabcd courses, it is possible to become a USabcd franchisee. It involves signing a USabcd franchising contract and it imposes specified responsibilities on you as the Course Director (CD). As such you shall comply with the logistics model for USabcd courses, provide course venue, ultrasound equipment, qualified supervisors (echo-technicians), models (volunteers), and arrange service and supply for coffee breaks and meals during the course.

USabcd is responsible for advertising your courses on the website, opening online access to the appropriate e-learning programs, and electronic distribution of course certificates.
The “golden standard” for a 1-day USabcd workshop is:
• 20 attendees
• 5 work stations each with one ultrasound system
• 5 supervisors (e.g. echo-technicians)
• 5 live models (volunteers)
• 1 Chief Instructor (that could be the Course Director)

The practical sessions are performed as Hands-On-Training (HOT) workshops focusing on basic sonographic views, normal variations, and pathology. Due to the efficiency of the e-learning modules NO theory is offered on the course day. The workshops are initially conducted by Chief Instructors from the USabcd team who are skilled experts who have been working within their expert field of clinical ultrasound on a daily basis for several years. The Chief Instructor will rotate between the different groups and lead the hands-on sessions. When a competent Chief Instructor is fully educated in the local environment he or she can take over the role as USabcd Chief Instructor.

This concept requires a minimum of external faculty and you can soon run courses on your own if you want! USabcd collaborate with the majority of ultrasound companies and we can help provide the machines and other necessary elements for the course.

If you are interested in setting up courses in your own department/organisation please contact us at [email protected].

We look forward to supporting you.

Thomas Fichtner Bendtsen

Director