Point-of-care ultrasound: seeing the future

Abstract

Practitioners other than radiologists and certified sonographers are increasingly using ultrasound at the bedside to facilitate immediate patient management from both procedural and diagnostic standpoints. This editorial provides a brief overview of the use of point-of-care ultrasound in clinical practice, its potential to improve patient care, and some of the unanswered questions surrounding issues of training, scope of practice, and quality assurance.