COVID-19 could accelerate adoption of point-of-care ultrasound use by nonradiologists

Editor's Note

The June 29 AuntMinnie reports on a panel presentation at the virtual annual meeting of the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine that found the adoption of point-of-care ultrasound by nonradiologists may be accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Though the American College of Radiology recommended not using CT as a first-line imaging modality in its COVID-19 guidelines, it did not mention point-of-care ultrasound.

The researchers pointed to evidence showing ultrasound’s benefits for patients with COVID-19, such as easier infection control, the ability to visualize different organ systems, and telehealth capabilities.

The more point-of-care ultrasound is used or discussed for COVID-19, the more different specialties will learn about its benefits for other types of patient care, the researchers say.