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An Academic Family Physician’s Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Experience

COMMENTARY

William Hui, MD

Corresponding Author: William Hui, MD; Stanford University School of Medicine 

Email: whui@stanford.edu

DOI: 10.3122/jabfm.2024.240379R1

Keywords: Family Medicine, Medical Education, POCUS, Point-of-Care Systems, Primary Care Physicians, Primary Health Care, Ultrasonography

Dates: Submitted: 10-17-2024; Revised: 12-13-2024; Accepted: 01-06-2025

Status: In production for ahead of print. 

In family medicine (FM), Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) usage is rising. Clinically, acute outpatient concerns often lends itself to more opportunities to utilize POCUS. Common scans utilized in the acute, outpatient setting include soft tissue masses, foreign body assessments, pre-procedural guidance for incision and drainage and soft tissue mass excisions, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) ultrasound (US), joint effusions, right upper quadrant (RUQ) US assessments to check for gallstones, lung US for respiratory infections (especially in children), shoulder rotator cuff assessments, bladder US, and US assisted/guided procedures such as Baker’s cyst aspirations, Carpal tunnel injections, and DeQuervain tenosynovitis injections. The goal of this commentary is to share clinical scenarios that can be helpful to utilize POCUS in the outpatient setting. With the advent of handheld US, recent Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education FM updates to recommend residents to learn POCUS, and nationwide efforts spreading POCUS into residencies and primary care departments, I am optimistic that this will inspire and empower primary care physicians to learn and use POCUS effectively to benefit patients where and when they need care the most. 

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