ArticlePloS one2018
Impact of point-of-care ultrasound on clinical decision-making at an urban emergency department in Tanzania.
Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 45 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
45 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Impact of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in pediatric emergency departments: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2025Pooled it
- POCUS for the People: A Rounds-Integrated Point-of-Care Ultrasound Curriculum for Medical Students at a Guatemalan Public Hospital.Journal of general internal medicine · 2026Article
- Effects of point-of-care ultrasonography on clinical decisions for suspected hypervolemia: a cross-sectional study of two independent samples.Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2026Article
- Data-driven network diagnostics for optimizing POCUS management: an actionable hospital analytical approach.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Integrated point-of-care ultrasound training in a Rwandan medical school: curriculum development, implementation, and outcomes.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Implementation strategies and economic considerations for point-of-care ultrasound in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A scoping review.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Point-of-care ultrasound competency of doctors working in Cape Town emergency departments.South African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care · 2025Article
- The Jamaica Handheld Ultrasound Project: a novel longitudinal point-of-care ultrasound curriculum in a resource-limited setting.World journal of emergency medicine · 2025Article
- Article
- Current status of neurotrauma management in resource-limited settings.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2025Review
- A survey of obstetric ultrasound uses and priorities for artificial intelligence-assisted obstetric ultrasound in low- and middle-income countries.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) as a key tool in the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma: a case report in an elderly patient with extreme blood pressure variability.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- Implementation of a Virtual Point-of-Care Ultrasound Curriculum at Black Lion Hospital, Ethiopia.Cureus · 2024Article
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) Applications for Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) in Low-Resource Settings: A Scoping Review.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Accuracy of portable ultrasound machines for obstetric biometry.Ultrasound in obstetrics & gynecology : the official journal of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology · 2024Observational
- Use of a Handheld Ultrasonographic Device to Identify Heart Failure and Pulmonary Disease in Rural Africa.JAMA network open · 2024Article
- A training program for obstetrics point-of-care ultrasound to 514 rural healthcare providers in Kenya.BMC medical education · 2023Article
- Use of point-of-care ultrasound in a low-resource setting to diagnose Achilles tendon rupture and avulsion fracture of the calcaneal bone.International journal of emergency medicine · 2023Article
- The use of point-of-care ultrasound in Tshwane public and private sector emergency units.South African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care · 2023Article
- Diagnostic Performance of Point of Care Ultrasound Compared to Chest X-Ray in Patients with Hypoxia at a Teaching Hospital Emergency Department in Uganda.African journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPoint of care ultrasound (PoCUS) is an efficient, inexpensive, safe, and portable imaging modality that can be particularly useful in resource-limited settings. However, its impact on clinical decision making in such settings has not been well studied. The objective of this study is to describe the utilization and impact of PoCUS on clinical decision making at an urban emergency department in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
methodsThis was a prospective descriptive cross-sectional study of patients receiving PoCUS at Muhimbili National Hospital's Emergency Medical Department (MNH EMD). Data on PoCUS studies during a period of 10 months at MNH EMD was collected on consecutive patients during periods when research assistants were available. Data collected included patient age and sex, indications for ultrasound, findings, interpretations, and provider-reported diagnostic impression and disposition plan before and after PoCUS. Descriptive statistics, including medians and interquartile ranges, and counts and percentages, are reported. Pearson chi squared tests and p-values were used to evaluate categorical data for significant differences.
resultsPoCUS data was collected for 986 studies performed on 784 patients. Median patient age was 32 years; 56% of patients were male. Top indications for PoCUS included trauma, respiratory presentations, and abdomino-pelvic pain. The most frequent study types performed were eFAST, cardiac, and obstetric or gynaecologic studies. Overall, clinicians reported that the use of PoCUS changed either diagnostic impression or disposition plan in 29% of all cases. Rates of change in diagnostic impression or disposition plan increased to 45% in patients for whom more than one PoCUS study type was performed.
conclusionsIn resource-limited emergency care settings, PoCUS can be utilized for a wide range of indications and has substantial impact on clinical decision making, especially when more than one study type is performed.
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Registered trials
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