A national survey report to facilitate rheumatology ultrasound curriculum proposal

Dear Editor, The Scottish Society for Rheumatology Ultrasound Group (SRUG) faculty read the letter from Shah et al. [1] with interest and would like to extend the UK data in the BSR survey with data that includes Scotland and North East England, as presented here. The integration of ultrasound (US) into routine care has potential to revolutionize the practice of rheumatology. With its increasing availability and low cost, US provides a valuable adjunct to clinical assessment in a specialty characterized by considerable diagnostic uncertainty. US improves diagnostic accuracy and facilitates earlier treatment in conditions such as inflammatory arthritis and giant cell arteritis, where prompt intervention is essential to prevent complications and improve long-term outcomes [2]. US has become a valuable bedside tool that extends the clinical examination taken up across various medical specialties. Point-of-care US in rheumatology (POCRUS) has been proposed as a means of applying this as a single approach, integrating musculoskeletal, vascular, and salivary gland US within Rheumatology [3].