Impact of Portable Pre-Hospital Ultrasound on Patients’ Outcomes: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Introduction: Training of emergency staff to use portable prehospital ultrasound machines is not a potential barrier to the adoption of the technique. Moreover, being a general doctor or paramedic was not a significant barrier to the training of ambulant or emergency health staff on prehospital ultrasound. This review aimed to evaluate the use of prehospital ultrasound among nurses and emergency medical services providers.
Methods: An electronic search in PubMed and Embase was conducted to identify relevant studies. The title and abstract of the relevant study were screened for eligibility criteria. The eligible articles were referred to two reviewers for in-depth reading. A total of 9 studies were included in this review aiming at providing evidence for the use of prehospital ultrasound.
Results: As the progression of bedside ultrasound utilization from radiologists to non-radiologists continues, we have seen penetration of ultrasound use by non-physicians as well. As the cost, machine size, and ease of use continue to improve, the applications of field ultrasound may continue to increase. Ultrasound may provide additional diagnostic information to guide therapy. The utility of this information will depend on the transport time as well as the training level of the provider in the ambulance.
Conclusions: Several types of practitioners (physicians, emergency medical technicians, nurses, and flight crews) have used portable ultrasound in a variety of practice environments including air and ground deployment.