1. The Impact of Systematic Point-of-Care Ultrasound on Management of Patients in a Resource-Limited Setting
- Author
-
Daniel Kaminstein, Patrick Laws, Robert N. Peck, Matthew Stephens, Abigail Sharpe, Felicity Williams, Emmanuel Mwabutwa, Alastair Stanley, Rachael Purcell, Candace Rypien, Lauren Byrne, Hyasinta Jaka, Bahati Wajanga, Lucas Faustine, and Tshepo Leeme
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Adolescent ,Point-of-Care Systems ,030231 tropical medicine ,Tertiary referral hospital ,Tanzania ,03 medical and health sciences ,Young Adult ,0302 clinical medicine ,Virology ,Health care ,Medicine ,Humans ,In patient ,Aged ,Ultrasonography ,Aged, 80 and over ,business.industry ,Point of care ultrasound ,Ultrasound ,030208 emergency & critical care medicine ,Cellulitis ,Articles ,Middle Aged ,Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ,Patient management ,Infectious Diseases ,Treatment Outcome ,Emergency medicine ,Physical therapy ,Parasitology ,Female ,business ,Limited resources - Abstract
Although target point-of-care (POC) ultrasonography has been shown to benefit patients in resource-limited settings, it is not clear whether a systematic POC ultrasound assessment in these settings can also lead to similar changes in patient management. A predefined systematic set of POC ultrasound scans were performed on inpatients at a tertiary referral hospital in Tanzania to see if this resulted in changes to patient management. Of the 55 patients scanned, an abnormality was detected in 75% (N = 41), and a change in patient management was recommended or implemented on the basis of POC ultrasound findings in 53% (N = 29). The main impact was earlier initiation of treatment due to more rapid and accurate diagnosis. Further research is warranted to determine whether systematic POC ultrasonography would result in improved patient outcomes in resource-limited settings.
- Published
- 2017