Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.
BMC Prim Care. 2024 Sep 5;25(1):328. doi: 10.1186/s12875-024-02578-z.
Although the number of point-of-care ultrasound devices available in Hungarian primary care practices are increasing due to government funding, their use in day-to-day patient care is limited and unregulated. Our study aimed to evaluate the attitudes and needs of general practitioners (GPs) and patients in Hungary regarding the introduction of bedside ultrasonography in primary care practices.
As a part of a cross-sectional study, an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire was distributed to GPs and patients on a social media platform. Data collection was carried out from August 2023 to October 2023. Chi-square test was used to determine the associations between categorical variables.
The survey was completed by 415 GPs (mean age 53.8 ± 11.1 years, 54.9% female, mean 19.5 ± 11.9 years of practice) and 693 patients (mean age 45.5 ± 12.3 years, 95.2% female). There was a statistically significant increase in interest in PoCUS among young and middle-aged GPs (age 28-59; p = 0.02). In addition, this population of GPs was also more likely to undertake training in PoCUS than their older colleagues (p < 0.0001). An inverse relationship was found between the duration of practice and training willingness (p = 0.0011). Even with the government's financial support, only 8.2% of GPs currently use PoCUS in a daily basis, and 59.5% of GPs are unfamiliar with the indications and the ways of using it. Patients would even pay to have the examination done in a primary care setting, even though only 45.9% of patients would pay a GP who is not certified in PoCUS, but the willingness to pay increased to 99.4% for those with formal training (p = 0.024).
Our findings indicate a significant interest in adapting PoCUS in primary care from both GPs and patients. Based on the fact that a significant proportion of Hungarian GPs are unaware of PoCUS and its indications, it is particularly important to develop educational frameworks, and practical guidelines for the effective incorporation of PoCUS in Hungary.
尽管由于政府资金的支持，匈牙利基层医疗实践中可用的即时护理超声设备数量有所增加，但它们在日常患者护理中的使用受到限制且不受监管。我们的研究旨在评估匈牙利全科医生（GP）和患者对在基层医疗实践中引入床边超声检查的态度和需求。
作为一项横断面研究的一部分，我们在一个社交媒体平台上向 GP 和患者分发了匿名的、自我管理的问卷。数据收集于 2023 年 8 月至 2023 年 10 月进行。卡方检验用于确定分类变量之间的关联。
该调查由 415 名 GP（平均年龄 53.8±11.1 岁，54.9%为女性，平均执业年限为 19.5±11.9 年）和 693 名患者（平均年龄 45.5±12.3 岁，95.2%为女性）完成。年轻和中年 GP（28-59 岁；p=0.02）对 PoCUS 的兴趣明显增加。此外，与年长的同事相比，这部分 GP 更有可能接受 PoCUS 培训（p<0.0001）。执业年限与培训意愿呈反比关系（p=0.0011）。尽管有政府的财政支持，但目前只有 8.2%的 GP 在日常工作中使用 PoCUS，59.5%的 GP 不熟悉其适应证和使用方法。即使患者需要付费在基层医疗机构进行检查，也只有 45.9%的患者愿意向未经 PoCUS 认证的 GP 付费，但对于接受过正规培训的 GP，患者的付费意愿增加到 99.4%（p=0.024）。
我们的研究结果表明，GP 和患者都对在基层医疗中采用 PoCUS 表现出浓厚的兴趣。鉴于相当一部分匈牙利 GP 不了解 PoCUS 及其适应证，因此特别有必要制定教育框架和实用指南，以促进匈牙利有效地将 PoCUS 纳入医疗服务中。
