Background: POCUS is becoming more prevalent in the daily practice of hospitalists; however, there are currently no established standards or guidelines for the use of POCUS for hospitalists.
Study design: Position statement.
Setting: SHM Executive Committee and Multi-Institutional POCUS faculty meeting through the Society of Hospital Medicine 2018 Annual Conference reviewed and approved this statement.
Synopsis: In contrast to the comprehensive ultrasound exam, POCUS is used by hospitalists to answer focused questions, by the same clinician who is generating the clinical question, to evaluate multiple body systems, or to serially investigate changes clinical status or evaluate responses to therapy.
This position statement provides guidance on the use of POCUS by hospitalists and the administrators who oversee it by outlining POCUS in terms of common diagnostic and procedural applications; training; assessments by the categories of basic knowledge, image acquisition, interpretation, clinical integration, and certification and maintenance of skills; and program management.
Bottom line: This position statement by the SHM provides guidance for hospitalists and administrators on the use and oversight of POCUS.
Citation: Soni NJ et al. Point-of-care ultrasound for hospitalists: A position statement of the Society of Hospital Medicine. J Hosp Med. 2019 Jan 2;14:E1-E6.
Dr. Wang is an associate professor of medicine in the division of general and hospital medicine at UT Health San Antonio and a hospitalist at South Texas Veterans Health Care System.