An Institutional Approach for Developing a Point-of-Care Ultrasound Program Infrastructure

Abstract

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is rapidly accelerating in adoption and applications outside the traditional realm of diagnostic radiology departments. Although the use of this imaging technology in a distributed fashion has great potential, there are many associated challenges. To address these challenges, the authors developed an enterprise-wide POCUS program at their institution (Stanford Health Care). Here, the authors share their experience, the governance organization, and their approaches to device and information security, training, and quality assurance. The authors also share the basic principles they use to guide their approach to manage these challenges. Through their work, the authors have learned that a foundational framework of defining POCUS and the different levels of POCUS use and delineating program management elements are critical. The authors hope that their experience will be helpful to others who are also interested in POCUS or in the process of creating POCUS programs at their institutions. With a clearly established framework, patient safety and quality of care are improved for everyone.