Abstract: Objective To analyze the characteristics of intradepartmental consultation cases in the Department of Ultrasound, identify the technical weaknesses underlying consultation needs, thereby exploring their guiding significance for optimizing the medical education system. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 325 intradepartmental consultation cases from the Department of Ultrasound at Peking University Third Hospital between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2024. Data on patient sources, time distribution, disease categories, applicant physicians′ seniority, and the positive rate of ultrasound reports were statistically analyzed. Results The majority of consultation cases involved outpatients (74.77%), with the highest proportion originating from General Surgery (98/325, 30.15%), Pediatrics (31/325, 9.54%), and Urology (21/325, 6.46%). Consultations predominantly occurred on weekdays between 10∶00 and 16∶00. Superficial organ diseases constituted the largest disease category (179/325, 55.08%), mainly involving subcutaneous soft tissue, breast, and thyroid subcategories, followed by musculoskeletal and neurological diseases (48/325, 14.77%) and vascular diseases (44/325, 13.54%). Case distribution varied by physician seniority: resident physicians in training primarily requested consultations for superficial organ, vascular, and abdominal cases; specialized training physicians showed an increased proportion of musculoskeletal and neurological cases; while attending physicians who completed specialized training and associate chief physicians demonstrated higher proportions of musculoskeletal and neurological, and pediatric cranial cases. The overall positive rate of ultrasound reports was 88.00%, with negative reports mostly prompting consultations due to discrepancies between subjective symptoms and imaging findings. Conclusions The characteristics of intradepartmental consultation cases reflect the technical weaknesses of ultrasound physicians at different seniority levels, providing helpful insights for refining postgraduate and continuing education systems to enhance the core competencies in ultrasound practice.

Key words: ultrasound medicine, consultation, standardized training for resident physicians, specialist physician standardized training, continuing education