A Real-World Experience: Retrospective Review of Point-of-Care Ultrasound Utilization and Quality in Community Emergency Departments

Introduction: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is commonly used in the emergency department (ED) as a rapid diagnostic tool. Emergency medicine (EM) has been an early adopter of POCUS with indications expanding over the last 10 years. While the literature describes widespread use among academic sites, there is little data on clinical POCUS utilization at non-academic EDs. We sought to describe community emergency physician (EP) use of POCUS by quantifying the number and type of studies performed, characteristics of the performing physician, and quality metrics.Methods: Prior to the study period, all EPs underwent a standardized training and credentialing program. A retrospective review of all POCUS studies across 11 non-academic EDs from October 1, 2018 –September 30, 2020 was performed by fellowship-trained physicians, who identified physician, exam type, and residency graduation year. The studies were then cross-referenced with quality...
Source: Western Journal of Emergency Medicine - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Source Type: research