ArticleBMC family practice2020
The use of ultrasound in primary care: longitudinal billing and cross-sectional survey study in Switzerland.
Article in BMC family practice, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
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
16 citing papers in PubMed, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- Role of point-of-care ultrasound study in early disposition of patients with undifferentiated acute dyspnea in emergency department: a multi-center prospective study.Journal of ultrasound · 2022Trial
- Point-of-care ultrasound teaching in general practice and family medicine: EURACT position paper.The European journal of general practice · 2026Article
- Point-of-care ultrasound in primary care - EFSUMB core curriculum and training recommendations - a position paper.Ultraschall in der Medizin (Stuttgart, Germany : 1980) · 2026Article
- Use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in French urgent primary care: a national survey of general practitioners in the SOS Médecins network.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- Frequency of clinical conditions suitable for point-of-care ultrasound and comparison of patient management plans among ultrasound users and non-users in Danish general practice.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- Does point-of-care ultrasound examination by the general practitioner lead to inappropriate care? A follow-up study.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2025Observational
- General practitioners' scanning competence following tailored ultrasound training: a hybrid effectiveness-implementation study.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- 'Shades of grey': a focus group study on diagnostic uncertainty among general practitioners using point-of-care ultrasound.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2025Article
- Implementation of lung ultrasonography by general practitioners for lower respiratory tract infections: a feasibility study.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2024Article
- The use of diagnostic ultrasound by primary care physicians in Switzerland - a cross-sectional study.BMC primary care · 2024Article
- World Organization of National Colleges, Academies and Academic Associations of General Practitioners and Family Physicians (WONCA) Europe position paper on the use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in primary care.Primary health care research & development · 2024Review
- Point-of-Care Ultrasound for the Diagnosis of Frequent Cardiovascular Diseases: A Review.Cureus · 2023Review
- Factors affecting point-of-care ultrasound implementation in general practice: a survey in Danish primary care clinics.BMJ open · 2023Article
- Ultrasound in primary care: Consensus recommendations on its applications and training. Results of a 3-round Delphi study.The European journal of general practice · 2022Article
- Physician- and patient-reported barriers to hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance: A nationwide survey.Medicine · 2022Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundUltrasound imaging is utilized in Swiss primary care; however, little is known regarding the extent to which it is performed. With this study, we aim to (1) provide an overview of ultrasound use by general practitioners (GPs), and (2) determine the clinical indications of ultrasound in Swiss general practice.
methodsThis is a quantitative study, analyzing 15 years of billing data from 213 GPs in Central Switzerland, and cross-sectional survey data completed by 61 GPs attending 26 certification and refresher courses offered by the Swiss Society of Ultrasound in Medicine (SGUM).
resultsAccording to billing data, 49% of the GPs used ultrasound and provided 130,245 exams to 67,180 patients between 2004 and 2018. Over the years, ultrasound use became more frequent among GPs. Male GPs provide more ultrasound exams than female GPs. Patients that are female, ≥65 years, and multi-morbid had more ultrasound exams compared to males, patients < 65 years, and those with only one morbidity, respectively. GPs provided a mean of 129 ultrasound exams per physician-year. Abdominal ultrasound comprised almost 69% of all exams. According to survey data, indications covered many organ systems and clinical conditions, with abdominal indications being most frequent among them.
conclusionsThe use of ultrasound is high among general practitioners and it covers a wide range of clinical indications. Ultrasound is utilized primarily in the diagnosis of clinical indications of the abdomen, and more often for female than male patients.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.