Despite increasing proportions of underrepresented minority (URM) medical school graduates, their progression into surgical training and leadership remains disproportionately low. Barriers such as financial constraints, limited mentorship and implicit bias contribute to this disparity, creating a disconnect between the diversity of patient populations and those providing care. While interventions such as mentorship programmes and pipeline initiatives have been implemented, their overall effectiveness has not been systematically evaluated. The primary aim of this scoping review is to map the current landscape of interventions, programmes and policies designed to enhance access to surgical careers for URM learners.

Searches will be conducted on EMBASE, Web of Science and OVID MEDLINE. Three independent reviewers will screen references, extract data and perform analyses with disagreements adjudicated by a fourth reviewer. This review will include studies conducted across all levels of training: secondary (high school or secondary school), postsecondary (undergraduate, medical school) and postgraduate (residency, fellowship), with no geographical restrictions. The definition of URM will be accepted as reported within each individual study, allowing for variability in racial, ethnic, gender, socioeconomic or other criteria. The review will include any structured interventions, programmes or policies aimed at increasing URM representation in surgical education. Data on the nature, duration and target population of each intervention will be extracted. The primary outcome will be the reported impact of interventions on URM representation or participation in surgical education. Secondary outcomes will include characteristics of the study participants, definitions of URM status and any qualitative or quantitative evaluations of intervention effectiveness.

Research ethics approval is not required under University of Toronto policy. Study results will be reported according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. Results will be disseminated to relevant stakeholders at conference presentation(s) and submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Dyspnea is a common chief complaint leading to emergency department (ED) visits. Multiple conditions may cause or be associated with dyspnoea, including bacterial pneumonia, acute heart failure (AHF), exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or asthma and pulmonary embolism. Each of these diagnoses has a specific treatment recommended by international guidelines. Inappropriate treatment in the ED is more frequent among elderly patients and is independently associated with in-hospital mortality. Point-of-care ultrasound is immediately available at the bedside. Lung and cardiac ultrasound (LuCUS) offers excellent diagnostic accuracy for bacterial pneumonia, AHF and COPD exacerbations, even in elderly patients. The primary objective of the LUC REED trial is to evaluate the impact of a LuCUS-guided strategy versus standard care on reducing inappropriate treatment of dyspnoea in elderly ED patients.

The LUC REED trial is a prospective, interventional, multicentre, stepped-wedge randomised controlled trial designed to assess the superiority of a LuCUS-guided strategy over standard care in ensuring treatment appropriateness for dyspnoea in elderly ED patients. The study will include 504 patients over 2 years. Patients aged >65 years presenting with acute dyspnoea and signs of severity (respiratory rate ≥22 or SpO₂

Ethics final approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of France—Est IV on 4 April 2025 (2024-A01678-39). Results will be published in peer-reviewed international journals.

NCT06807983.