Making safety the focus
While the ECRI Institute’s report raises some valid concerns about POCUS, it is important for providers to understand that all POCUS technologies are not created equally. In fact, they vary widely in terms of quality and vendor support.
As a non-invasive technology, POCUS is traditionally a safe, cost-effective, powerful tool for diagnosis and for guiding interventional procedures in many clinical environments.
That said, providers must establish POCUS policies and procedures that address institution-wide concerns including user training and credentialing, exam documentation, and data archiving. When it comes to any medical technology, healthcare providers must be vigilant about patient safety and manufacturers should be their biggest supporters.
About the author: Dr. Diku Mandavia, FACEP, FRCPC, is the senior vice president and chief medical officer of Fujifilm SonoSite, Inc. and Fujifilm Medical Systems U.S.A., Inc.Back to HCB News
