Open AccessPoint‐of‐care ultrasound stewardship
Author(s) -
Shokoohi Hamid,
Duggan Nicole M.,
Adhikari Srikar,
Selame Lauren Ann,
Amini Richard,
Blaivas Michael
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of the american college of emergency physicians open
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2688-1152
DOI - 10.1002/emp2.12279
Subject(s) - stewardship (theology) , point of care ultrasound , test (biology) , medical physics , medicine , point of care testing , point of care , patient care , medical ultrasound , ultrasound , radiology , nursing , pathology , paleontology , politics , biology , political science , law
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.