RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 An Academic Family Physician’s Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Experience
JF The Journal of the American Board of Family
                Medicine
JO J Am Board Fam Med
FD American Board of Family Medicine
SP 949
OP 954
DO 10.3122/jabfm.2024.240379R1
VO 38
IS 6
A1 Hui, William
YR 2025
UL http://www.jabfm.org/content/38/6/949.abstract
AB In family medicine (FM), point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) usage is rising. Clinically, acute outpatient concerns often lends itself to more opportunities to use POCUS. Common scans utilized in the acute, outpatient setting include soft tissue masses, foreign body assessments, preprocedural 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 use 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 POCUS3, 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.