Ultrasound for Primary Care

"Point-of-care ultrasound applications in the primary care setting have grown dramatically in recent years to cover many clinical scenarios, including improved physical exam or examination of thyroid nodules, enlarged lymph nodes, pericardial effusion, chronic kidney disease, and a host of musculoskeletal issues. Additionally, primary care providers are able to perform joint injections or biopsy using ultrasound guidance. Ultrasound technology has improved to the point that plug-in probes, laptops/tablets, and pocket devices make using ultrasound in the outpatient or office setting much simpler. Increasingly, ultrasound use is being taught to medical students and residents in training: data suggests students using physical exam and ultrasound have improved diagnostic rates over clinicians who use physical exam only"--