CHOU Yi-Hong, TIU Chui-Mei

Yi-Hong CHOU, Chui-Mei TIU

Department of Radiology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, and School of Medicine, National Yang Ming University

キーワード :

The use of ultrasound （US） in medicine in Taiwan began in the early 1960’s. Diagnostic US was first preformed by radiologists, neurologists and obstetricians, then gradually general abdominal, urological and cardiac scanning were started as well. With the introduction of portable real-time scanners in the late 1970’s, ultrasound scanners proliferated rapidly in Taiwan. On June 17, 1984, Professor Hsi-Yao Chen and Professor Fon-Jou Hsieh together with pioneers in other specialties founded the Society of Ultrasound in Medicine, ROC （SUMROC） at Taipei, Taiwan. The number of founding members was 467, now increased to 6200, only second to Japan in Asia. SUMROC （also known as Chinese Taipei Society of Ultrasound in Medicine, CTSUM） provides various training courses to physicians in practice. Only by attending basic courses or submitting the papers to the official Journal of the SUMROC, Journal of Medical Ultrasound （JMU） can one become a member. Various advanced courses and workshops are also provided to its members, non-member physicians and technicians. Take years 2014-2015 as an example, there were totally 23 basic courses and 15 advanced courses supported by the SUMROC. In addition, 2 seminars and 2 international symposia, 4 regional annual symposia and 2 Annual Conventions （with general assembly） were held. All provided education courses for SUMROC members. Every year in October, around 2000 members attend the Annual Convention in Taipei. Experts in various subspecialties deliver lectures in 10-12 categories. While there is an increased general awareness of promoting medical US education in medical school, creation of a US curriculum for medical students is not generally successful. About one third of medical schools in Taiwan have proposed US curriculum based on 2 goals: 1. Preclinical: utilization of US to enhance student understanding of anatomy, physiology, and pathology; 2 clinical: teaching students how to use US effectively as a problem-solving tool in the diagnosis of disease. With the rapid proliferation of medical US and the relevant techniques, it is essential to include medical US in the greater framework of general medical education. All medical students, regardless of future specialties, will benefit from a longitudinal exposure to medical US.