Point‐of‐care ultrasound stewardship. Issue 6 (11th October 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Shokoohi, Hamid; Duggan, Nicole M.; Adhikari, Srikar; Selame, Lauren Ann; Amini, Richard; Blaivas, Michael
• Is Part Of: JACEP open. Volume 1:Issue 6(2020)
• Page Start: 1326
• Page End: 1331
• Publication Date: 2020-10-11
• Subjects: integration -- point‐of‐care ultrasound -- pre‐test probability -- safety -- spectrum effect -- stewardship -- ultrasound; Medical emergencies -- Periodicals; 616.025
• DOI: 10.1002/emp2.12279
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0361-1124

Abstract

Abstract: Rapid adoption and widespread use of point‐of‐care ultrasound (POCUS) has impacted diagnostic testing and clinical care across medical disciplines. The benefits of POCUS must be weighed against certain pitfalls, such as the risk of misdiagnosis and false assurance. Beyond technical error in image acquisition and interpretation, an important pitfall is reliance on POCUS results without considering pre‐test patient characteristics or the diagnostic accuracy of POCUS in varying clinical contexts. In this article, we introduce the concept of POCUS stewardship that emphasizes critical evaluation of clinical indications prior to performing POCUS as well as the individual patient and test characteristics of POCUS when integrating results into clinical decisionmaking. Adherence to these principles can lead to optimized POCUS application and improved patient care.