Photo de Hush Naidoo Jade Photography sur Unsplash
Today, our attention is drawn to a French study on the role of pulmonary ultrasound in the primary care setting.
Ultrasound seems to be playing an increasingly important role in the daily life of health professionals, offering a number of advantages. It’s almost like a sea snake. But first, what does this study say? PRS Healthcare tells you all about it.
A French study
Published on 20 May 2024 in the Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care (JSSSP), the French study reveals two facts :
- “Lung ultrasound is a reliable diagnostic test that can be carried out and integrated into outpatient general medical practice”
- “Patients also have a favourable opinion of the usefulness of this diagnostic tool and its availability”
A long running story !
The use of ultrasound in general practice is a topic we deal with regularly… And from different angles.
As far back as 2016, PRS Healthcare shared the opinion of Professor Ayache Bouakaz – Research Director of the Inserm UMR 930 laboratory at the François Rabelais University in Tours – who stated that he believed ultrasound was “the medicine of the future“.
More recently, in February 2024, our laboratory took stock of the different positions of the medical community regarding ultrasound probes in general medicine.
Some might argue that lung ultrasound in primary care is the logical continuation of a well worn subject that began many years ago.
Benefits of lung ultrasound in primary care
For healthcare professionals
As the study points out: “Ultrasound is highly accurate in detecting pneumothorax, pleural effusion, lung contusion and pneumonia” . It also explains that it is a rapid test, taking less than 5 minutes. Finally, the study highlights the democratisation of point-of-care equipment, such as the ultrasound system developed by EchOpen.
For patients
For patients, lung ultrasound in primary care also appears to offer a number of benefits. Some of these are unexpected:
- 81.7% of patients say they have a better understanding of the diagnosis.
- In addition, 82.6% think that their GP’s diagnosis is more reliable thanks to the use of ultrasound.
- Finally, 95.4% of patients believe that an ultrasound scanner can be a useful tool for their doctor in the practice of medicine.
Read more about lung ultrasound in primary care
To find out more, PRS Healthcare recommends you read the full study on lung ultrasound in primary care. In it, you will learn in detail about the methodology and results of the study… But also the barriers to the development of PHCT. In fact, the authors of the study note that there is a need to “further explore potential barriers, in particular increased workload, reimbursement issues, equipment costs and continuing education requirements” .
The 8-page document is available online from the JSSSP website.
