What Is a Point-Of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Used For?

Point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) is a medical test that can help diagnose a variety of medical conditions, including blood clots, internal bleeding, gallstones, and heart or lung problems. Although PoCUS is a simple procedure, a skilled medical provider should do it. They can do it right at the bedside, or at the “point of care.” This means it can happen in a medical office, emergency room, hospital bed, or presurgical area. You don’t have to go to a different office or part of the hospital. Read on to learn more about PoCUS and how it can help healthcare providers rapidly diagnose the cause of your symptoms. 

What’s the difference between PoCUS and regular ultrasound?

An ultrasound scan is a painless and harmless scan that uses sound waves through a probe to view structures under the skin — such as your blood vessels or organs. It’s the same test providers use to scan babies in the womb.  

Ultrasound can scan any part of the body. When used in pregnancy, it’s called a “pregnancy ultrasound.” When used to diagnose medical conditions or diseases, it’s called a “diagnostic ultrasound.” The size of the probe may vary, but the technology is the same. Traditionally, radiologists and radiographers (specialized imaging physicians and technicians) did ultrasound scans in a dedicated imaging center or department.   

In recent decades, all kinds of healthcare providers, in all kinds of settings, have used ultrasound machines to provide diagnostic help at the patient’s bedside — the “point of care.” This is PoCUS. Ultrasound can’t diagnose everything, and it isn’t a perfect test. But ultrasound machines are easily moved (unlike X-ray machines and CT scanners), so they’re very useful for getting information about a diagnosis. What’s more, an ultrasound is quick, pretty easy (for a trained professional), usually painless, and cheap. Plus, it doesn’t expose you to any radiation like some other imaging tests.

Is point-of-care ultrasound only used in hospitals?

Not at all — any healthcare setting can use a PoCUS. From specialized nurses to emergency room physicians, many different types of clinical providers can be trained to use PoCUS.  

Most often, PoCUS is used in:

• Medical offices

• Emergency rooms

• Surgery centers

• Intensive care units

It can even be used in the back of an ambulance and in remote areas far from health centers and modern medical technology. Unlike so much other technology we rely on, PoCUS doesn’t even need Wi-Fi! 

How can ultrasound help to diagnose medical problems?

PoCUS uses an ultrasound machine, which has a screen and a transducer (also known as a  “probe”), to image many different parts of the body. The probe sends out sound waves that bounce off body tissues and then return to the probe. The waves bounce off of different body tissues in distinct ways. The machine reads these waves and uses them to create an image.

PoCUS can image many different parts of the body and even show the body in motion — like the heart pumping, lungs expanding, or blood flowing.

Providers commonly use ultrasound to image internal organs and body tissues, including:

• Heart

• Lungs

• Liver and gallbladder

• Muscles

• Tissues under the skin

• Kidneys and bladder

• Uterus

• Veins and arteries

A history of symptoms and a physical exam gives healthcare providers a clue as to what might be going on in your body. But sometimes different medical conditions can have similar symptoms — or a physical exam alone may not be able to identify the problem. Being able to see the tissues and organs, especially how they’re working, can help determine the right diagnosis more quickly.

Examples of how ultrasound can help detect medical problems include:

• Seeing how well the heart pumps blood

• Checking the lungs for fluid, infection, or air leaks

• Looking for gallstones or inflammation in the liver

• Determining if a skin infection is cellulitis or a pocket of pus (abscess)

• Checking for kidney or bladder blockage (obstruction)

• Confirming a pregnancy

Some of these are long-term medical problems, like gallstones, but PoCUS can also help identify medical problems in emergency situations. Examples of serious, sometimes life-threatening medical problems that PoCUS can diagnose include heart failure, pneumothorax (collapsed lung), internal bleeding from trauma, and blood clots. In some cases, using PoCUS to diagnose these conditions can be lifesaving. 

Benefits of PoCUS

Data from Denmark shows that, in primary care, a PoCUS exam during a doctor’s visit made a difference in the diagnosis or treatment plan in 50% of patients. Importantly, it also significantly reduced the need for referral to a specialist. 

Patients feel positive about their experience of PoCUS, too. Most people say it improved their medical care and helped them better understand their medical problem.  

Does it hurt to have a PoCUS exam? Are there risks?

A PoCUS exam isn’t painful. To perform the exam, a healthcare provider will put ultrasound gel on the ultrasound probe and then place it on the part of your body that needs imaging. The gel can feel cold, and sometimes the provider needs to put slight pressure on the probe. Other than that, you shouldn’t experience any discomfort. 

Ultrasound doesn’t use radiation, so it’s very safe for all ages — and even in pregnancy. 

How can I know if I might need a PoCUS exam?

Providers can use PoCUS for many different types of medical conditions. For some medical conditions, like pregnancy, PoCUS is used regularly, so you can expect to have a PoCUS exam at some point when seeking medical care. Similarly, PoCUS is common in emergency situations. If you’re in an emergency room after an accident, or because of chest pain, you’re also very likely to have a PoCUS exam. For other medical conditions, the decision to use PoCUS may depend on the setting or healthcare provider. When talking to your provider about your care, whether in a medical office or emergency room, ask if PoCUS may be able to help in your medical situation.

Why trust our experts?

Written by:

Kelly Elterman, MD

Kelly Elterman, MD, is a board-certified anesthesiologist by the American Board of Anesthesiologyand has been practicing clinically since she finished her residency training in 2013. Along with her training, she has over 10 years experience in anesthesiology.

Edited by:

Sophie Vergnaud, MD

Sophie Vergnaud, MD, is the Senior Medical Director for GoodRx Health. An experienced and dedicated pulmonologist and hospitalist, she spent a decade practicing and teaching clinical medicine at academic hospitals throughout London before transitioning to a career in health education and health technology.

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