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. 2023 Oct;38(5):645-653.
doi: 10.1017/S1049023X23006234. Epub 2023 Aug 25.

Paramedic-Performed Prehospital Tele-Ultrasound: A Powerful Technology or an Impractical Endeavor? A Scoping Review

Rachel Shi  1 , Javier Rosario  1
Affiliations

Paramedic-Performed Prehospital Tele-Ultrasound: A Powerful Technology or an Impractical Endeavor? A Scoping Review

Rachel Shi et al. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2023 Oct.

Abstract

Ultrasound with remote assistance (tele-ultrasound) may have potential to improve accessibility of ultrasound for prehospital patients. A review of recent literature on this topic has not been done before, and the feasibility of prehospital tele-ultrasound performed by non-physician personnel is unclear. In an effort to address this, the literature was qualitatively analyzed from January 1, 2010 - December 31, 2021 in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane online databases on prehospital, paramedic-acquired tele-ultrasound, and ten articles were found. There was considerable heterogeneity in the study design, technologies used, and the amount of ultrasound training for the paramedics, preventing cross-comparisons of different studies. Tele-ultrasound has potential to improve ultrasound accessibility by leveraging skills of a remote ultrasound expert, but there are still technological barriers to overcome before determinations on feasibility can be made.

Keywords: emergency medicine; paramedics; prehospital; tele-ultrasound.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare none.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
PRISMA Flow Diagram of Article Selection Process.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
The 5 Pillars of Prehospital Tele-Ultrasound.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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