Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare
David Bahner, MD, RDMS, FACEP, FAAEM, FAIUM
Dr. Bahner underscores that since the 1980s, emergency ultrasound performed by emergency physicians at the point of care has been recognized as a valuable technology to improve the department. Employing ultrasound at the bedside, he asserts, can reduce medical errors, provide more efficient real-time diagnosis, and in certain clinical scenarios, supplement or replace more expensive imaging modalities such as CT and reduce patient exposure to ionizing radiation. This article details how ultrasound can improve procedural success and safety such as invasive procedures like nerve blocks and central venous catheter placement, prevent costly errors and discussed the future of emergency ultrasound which has grown since the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) published its first specialty-specific ultrasound guidelines.