title: Emergency department ultrasound by nurse practitioners.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Bedside ultrasound (u/s) examinations by emergency physicians (EPs) have been integrated into clinical emergency medicine (EM) training programs and the efficacy and success of an introductory u/s training course, based on established guidelines, has been previously described. We used this same course to teach EM nurse practitioners (NPs) bedside u/s and then assessed the adequacy of NP ultrasonography 1 year following the course.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five NPs were included in a standardized 16-h EM u/s training program. Subsequently, the NPs were asked to print consecutive u/s images representative of their clinical assessments. A single qualified EP reviewer assessed images for adequacy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Five NPs reported 229 u/s examinations, two of which were excluded as nondiagnostic over the 2-month study period. There were 32 inadequate images and 27 "positive" findings. All the positives were correct. Totals per provider were 104, 58, 49, 13, and 3 u/s assessments with 83%, 95%, 84%, 77%, and 100% adequacy of images, respectively. Of the 32 inadequate images, 18 of these were incomplete focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) examinations with a reading of negative for free fluid.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NPs are able to perform focused u/s with a high degree of accuracy, and a 16-h guideline-based course serves as a good introductory foundation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Keck/USC School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA. sohender@hsc.usc.edu
authors.forename: Sean O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.forename: Terence
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ahern
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mailhot
authors.forename: Diku
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mandavia
mesh_terms: D003479:Curriculum; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D006801:Humans; D009722:Nurse Practitioners; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*