PA use of point-of-care ultrasound: A pilot survey

Limited research exists on PAs and use of point-of-care (POC) ultrasound. This pilot survey sought to determine current views on and use of POC ultrasound in a small group of PAs.

The authors developed an anonymous voluntary survey on PA views and use of POC ultrasound. The survey was entered into Qualtrics and e-mailed three times.

Nearly 27% of the subjects use ultrasound with 62% feeling confident in their ability to use ultrasound. The top reason for not using ultrasound was lack of access to a machine (50%). Only 35.3% of those without access to a machine were interested in bringing ultrasound into their practices. Sixty-seven percent of respondents felt that PAs should have standardized ultrasound training.

Results demonstrate that more research is needed into the applicability of POC ultrasound to all PA practice areas as well as how PAs should be trained in POC ultrasound.