Tele-ECHO for Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Rural Kenya: A Feasibility Study

Geographical isolation limits continuous point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) education for healthcare providers in rural Kenya. This study evaluates the use of the Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) videoconference platform to connect health care providers in rural Kenya with PoCUS trainers at Brown University. Twelve PoCUS trainees from 11 clinics were included in the study. Every week, trainees participated in a 2-hour Tele-ECHO session via Zoom. Attendance was logged onto iECHO. A Qualtrics survey was used to collect participant feedback. Trainees faced difficulty with computer-based Wi-Fi connection and mostly used smartphone-based Internet. Whatsapp messaging was preferable to email for Tele-ECHO notifications. Work obligations kept some trainees from participating. The majority of participating trainees felt that the didactic material was relevant to their practice. Telementoring through Project ECHO was found to be an acceptable adjunct to PoCUS training for rural trainees. Internet access was primarily smartphone-based.