Clinical Ultrasound

[FiNorman]

For those who are passionate about ultrasound, or have a desire learn Ultrasound or improve their skills we are actively looking for charter members.   The goal is to use FOAMed, or Free and Open Access to Medical Education to help each other and better patient care.

Ultrasound is no longer just a tool of the Emergency Department.  Family practice, ortho, ob, cardiology, prehospital medicine, rheumatology, urology, surgery, ect...are all finding uses for ultrasound.  

I believe that in 10-15 years the portable ultrasound will replace the stethoscope as the tool to examine our patients.  

Increasing portability has made ultrasound an ideal non-radiating, repeatable diagnostic adjunct for use at the bedside, and its significant improvements in imaging has greatly expanded its utility in the past decade.  No other diagnostic adjunct allows us to look at so many different anatomical structures (abdomen, heart, skin/soft tissue, gall bladder, nerves, vascular access, bones etc).  Yet ultrasound remains underutilized. 

Those in emergency medicine may understand the impact bedside ultrasound can have on their clinical practice, but POCUS is rapidly being incorporated into medical school curriculum and FP/IM physician residencies and few outside of the EM realm may understand its power even in primary care, and especially in the under-resourced areas where PAs frequently practice.  Data suggests that nonphysicians can learn POCUS relatively quickly. Focused ultrasound is a billable procedure which can increase RVUs, but more importantly, has great potential to improve the care of patients.

If you use ultrasound in your practice, are interested in expanding your use of ultrasound, or would like to see ultrasound education expanded, please provide us with your input/feedback/experience.  The goal of our SIG will be the establishment of clinical practice guidelines for use of POCUS by PAs, recommendations for and establishment of educational programs, credentialing, and the establishment of relationships with outside organizations which endorse PAs use of POCUS.

 

 

 

 

For those who have an interest and a desire to learn more or join we are actively looking for charter members.   The goal is to use FOAMed, or Free and Open Access to Medical Education to help each other and better patient care.

 

The website is SPACUS.org.