Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Neonatology in India: The Way Forward

The clinician-performed point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a useful tool, and its scope includes bedside assessment of pulmonary (e.g., pneumothorax, pleural effusion), cardiac (e.g., pulmonary hypertension, ductus arteriosus), gastrointestinal (e.g., necrotising enterocolitis), and intracranial (e.g., intraventricular hemorrhage, cerebral blood flow velocities) pathologies, procedural guidance and rapid assessment of etiologies of acute clinical deterioration (e.g., pneumothorax, poor cardiac contractility, intraventricular hem-orrhage). Despite its potential to improve patient care, a curriculum and a structured program for POCUS training is lacking in India. Homogenous approach to training and ongoing quality assurance is essential to optimize benefits of POCUS as an effective tool in clinical practice. The training needs, the legal and infrastructural barriers to successful implementation of POCUS, and strategies to implement the program at the national level are discussed.