Observational studyTransactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene2021
Diagnostic point-of-care ultrasound in medical inpatients at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Malawi: an observational study of practice and evaluation of implementation.
Observational study in Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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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
2 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.
- Implementation strategies and economic considerations for point-of-care ultrasound in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A scoping review.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- The utilisation of emergency point-of-care ultrasound in a tertiary hospital emergency department in East London, South Africa.African journal of emergency medicine : Revue africaine de la medecine d'urgence · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIn less well-resourced settings, where access to radiology services is limited, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) can be used to assess patients and guide clinical management. The aim of this study was to describe ultrasound practice in the assessment of medical inpatients at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi, and evaluate uptake and impact of POCUS following the introduction of a training programme at the college of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi.
methods: A weekly prospective record review of sequential adult medical inpatients who had received an ultrasound examination was conducted.
resultsOf 835 patients screened, 250 patients were included; 267 ultrasound examinations were performed, of which 133 (50%) were POCUS (defined as performed by a clinician at the bedside). The time from request to performance of examination was shorter for POCUS examinations than radiology department ultrasound (RDUS) (median 0 [IQR 0-2, range 0-11] vs 2 [IQR 1-4, range 0-15] d, p=0.002); 104/133 (78.2%) POCUS and 90/133 (67.7%) RDUS examinations were deemed to have an impact on management.
conclusionFollowing the introduction of a training programme in POCUS, half of all ultrasound examinations were delivered as POCUS. POCUS was performed rapidly and impacted on patient management. POCUS may relieve the burden on radiology services in less well-resourced settings.
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Registered trials
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