Benefits of point-of-care ultrasound
But first, let’s review the benefits. According to the American College of Emergency Physicians, POC US gives ED doctors access to real-time clinical information so that they can triage and diagnose patients faster.2 Time is always a precious resource in the ED, and it’s even more precious when a patient is coding or the ED is hit with a flood of patients who all require immediate attention. The speed and accuracy of bedside ultrasound in triage and diagnosis is why virtually all disaster preparedness plans recommend it as the first course of action.3
POC US also allows for faster patient throughput: when doctors can diagnose and care for them more quickly, patients spend less time waiting. And the reduction in wait times for patients can be significant. For instance, according to the Annals of Emergency Medicine, using bedside ultrasound in the ED to diagnose intrauterine pregnancies was almost three times faster than using formal radiology ultrasound and an ob-gyn consult, turning 170-minute visits into hour-long visits to the ED.4