Waldman David, Doughton John, Pino Chelsea
Department of Imaging Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, United States.
Department of Family Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, United States.
J Clin Imaging Sci. 2025 Aug 2;15:28. doi: 10.25259/JCIS_76_2025. eCollection 2025.
Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has emerged as a cost-effective diagnostic tool that significantly enhances physical examinations. Serving as an extension of traditional examination methods, POCUS is particularly appealing to the next generation of clinicians. It holds the potential to become the modern-day stethoscope in various medical assessments and procedures. At the University of Rochester, we are in the midst of a major initiative, deploying 2,000 POCUS probes while simultaneously reinforcing compliance standards for image storage and documentation across established POCUS platforms. Three years into our 4-year deployment plan, we will discuss the evolution of our governance structure, improved utilization, continued educational initiatives, and credentialing strategies. Over the past decade, POCUS adoption has grown organically, and our goal is to implement a comprehensive strategy that ensures adherence to established protocols for image storage and documentation. At present, we have successfully deployed 1,199 probes, up from 789 in year 2, with integration across more than 70 departments and divisions within our information technology (IT) platform. Notably, this implementation has led to a 26% growth in hospital charges, highlighting the tangible impact of POCUS integration. However, achieving compliance and education among established providers continues to be a challenge. The integration of fellowship-trained POCUS physicians into various departments has been invaluable, and developing physician champions has significantly improved both utilization and compliance. Recent initiatives include transitioning from traditional bladder scanners to ultrasound (US) probes mounted on iPad stands and developing a nursing POCUS-guided US program. Nursing education has played a pivotal role in supporting this transition. Over the first 6 months, 86 US probes used by nursing staff have facilitated approximately 70,000 bladder examinations.
床旁超声(POCUS)已成为一种经济高效的诊断工具,显著增强了体格检查。作为传统检查方法的延伸,POCUS对新一代临床医生尤其具有吸引力。它有潜力在各种医学评估和操作中成为现代的听诊器。在罗切斯特大学,我们正在开展一项重大计划,部署2000个POCUS探头,同时加强现有POCUS平台上图像存储和记录的合规标准。在我们为期4年的部署计划进行到三年时,我们将讨论治理结构的演变、利用率的提高、持续的教育举措以及认证策略。在过去十年中,POCUS的应用是自然增长的,我们的目标是实施一项全面战略,确保遵守图像存储和记录的既定协议。目前,我们已成功部署了1199个探头,高于第二年的789个,并且在我们的信息技术(IT)平台内与70多个部门和科室进行了整合。值得注意的是,这种实施使医院收费增长了26%,凸显了POCUS整合的切实影响。然而,在现有提供者中实现合规和教育仍然是一项挑战。将接受过专项培训的POCUS医生融入各个科室非常宝贵,培养医生带头人显著提高了利用率和合规性。最近的举措包括从传统膀胱扫描仪过渡到安装在iPad支架上的超声(US)探头,以及开展护士POCUS引导的超声检查项目。护理教育在支持这一转变中发挥了关键作用。在头6个月里,护理人员使用的86个超声探头促成了约70000次膀胱检查。