A call for more point-of-care ultrasound in ambulances and in ED docs’ repertoire
A fourth-year medical student who logged 10 years as an EMT, paramedic and volunteer firefighter is encouraging peers in his previous field to embrace point-of-care ultrasound for use in the field.
Jason Bowman of the Texas A&M College of Medicine also believes emergency physicians ought to be getting more training in the technology. He tells ESM1.com that he and his crews often knew more about ultrasound than the ED doctors they encountered when transporting patients.
“Fortunately, the doctors tended to still be very receptive, and inviting them to your training classes to get free ultrasound training is a great way to make strong allies in the ER,” Bowman says.
If only getting strong participation were so easy, says Daniel Theodoro, MD, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He likes Bowman’s idea but says getting emergency doctors’ buy-in on training is, in fact, the hardest part of getting them to use point-of-care ultrasound.
“It usually takes 15 to 20 years before physicians start implementing advances in their everyday practice,” Theodoro tells ESM1.com. “So when you run into a seasoned physician who wasn’t exposed to emergency medicine ultrasound training, they sometimes ask out loud why they should learn something new when they’ve been doing just fine without it.”
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Dave P. has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for more than 30 years, frequently concentrating on hospitals, healthcare technology and Catholic communications. He has also specialized in fundraising communications, ghostwriting for CEOs of local, national and global charities, nonprofits and foundations.