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Point-of-care ultrasound versus radiology department pelvic ultrasound on emergency department length of stay.
Abstract
Background
The study aimed to compare the time to overall length of stay (LOS) for patients who underwent point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) versus radiology department ultrasound (RDUS).Methods
This was a prospective study on a convenience sample of patients who required pelvic ultrasound imaging as part of their emergency department (ED) assessment.Results
We enrolled a total of 194 patients who were on average 32 years-old. Ninety-eight (51%) patients were pregnant (<20 weeks). Time to completion of RDUS was 66 minutes longer than POCUS (95%CI 60-73, P<0.01). Patients randomized to the RDUS arm experienced a 120 minute longer ED length of stay (LOS) (95%CI 66-173, P<0.01).Conclusion
In patients who require pelvic ultrasound as part of their diagnostic evaluation, POCUS resulted in a significant decrease in time to ultrasound and ED LOS.Many UC-authored scholarly publications are freely available on this site because of the UC's open access policies. Let us know how this access is important for you.