title: Point of Care Ultrasound: A WFUMB Position Paper.
abstract: Over the last decade, the use of portable ultrasound scanners has enhanced the concept of point of care ultrasound (PoC-US), namely, "ultrasound performed at the bedside and interpreted directly by the treating clinician." PoC-US is not a replacement for comprehensive ultrasound, but rather allows physicians immediate access to clinical imaging for rapid and direct solutions. PoC-US has already revolutionized everyday clinical practice, and it is believed that it will dramatically change how ultrasound is applied in daily practice. However, its use and teaching are different from continent to continent and from country to country. This World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology position paper discusses the current status and future perspectives of PoC-US. Particular attention is given to the different uses of PoC-US and its clinical significance, including within emergency and critical care medicine, cardiology, anesthesiology, rheumatology, obstetrics, neonatology, gynecology, gastroenterology and many other applications. In the future, PoC-US will be more diverse than ever and be included in medical student training.
authors.affiliation: Medical Department, Caritas-Krankenhaus, Bad Mergentheim, Germany; Sino-German Research Center of Ultrasound in Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, China. Electronic address: Christoph.dietrich@ckbm.de.
authors.forename: Christoph F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Dietrich
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth, Australia.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goudie
authors.affiliation: Département d'imagerie médicale, Clinique des Cévennes 07100 Annonay, France.
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chiorean
authors.affiliation: Medical Department, Caritas-Krankenhaus, Bad Mergentheim, Germany; Sino-German Research Center of Ultrasound in Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, China.
authors.forename: Xin Wu
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Ultrasound in Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, and Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Odd Helge
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Gilja
authors.affiliation: Medical Department, Caritas-Krankenhaus, Bad Mergentheim, Germany; Department of Ultrasound, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Section of Ultrasound, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Jacques S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Abramowicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Imaging & Diagnostic Radiology, WFUMB COE, Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Sudhir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vinayak
authors.affiliation: Charles Sturt University, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Susan Campbell
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Westerway
authors.affiliation: Copenhagen Academy for Medical Education and Simulation (CAMES), Ultrasound Section, Department of Gastroenterology, Division of Surgery, Herlev Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Christian Pállson
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Nolsøe
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, and School of Medicine, National Yang Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yi-Hong
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.affiliation: University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Francis Hospital, Columbus, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blaivas
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D012955:Societies, Medical; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Echoscopy; Guidelines; Intervention; Neonatology; Stethoscope