ArticleSouth African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care2023
The use of point-of-care ultrasound in Tshwane public and private sector emergency units.
Article in South African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care, 2023. 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.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.
- A cost-effective ultrasound model for demonstrating the whirlpool sign in testicular torsion.Journal of the colleges of medicine of South Africa · 2025Article
- 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
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is an essential skill in the practice of emergency medicine (EM), with benefit to patient care by improving diagnostic accuracy. Despite this, there exists little data evaluating the use of POCUS in South African emergency units (EUs.).
methodsOne hundred and seventeen doctors working in 12 public and private sector EUs in Tshwane were included. A questionnaire was used comprising of descriptive data regarding doctor demographics, levels of experience, and outcome data including POCUS frequency use, training level, indications for, and barriers to its use.
resultsMany participants were general practitioners working in EUs (58.1%) followed by EM specialists and EM registrars. Of these participants, 88% used POCUS. Seventy one percent received informal POCUS training only. The indications for POCUS use were similar for both public and private sector, with no significant differences in overall use. The only significant association to POCUS use was age ( 33.3 years) and number of years since qualification ( 6.9 years.) Lack of and/or access to training were the main reasons for not using POCUS (18.8%.) There were no significant differences in the barriers to the use of POCUS between the sectors.
conclusionPoint-of-care ultrasound is used similarly in both public and private sector EUs in Tshwane. Lack of and/or access to POCUS training are the main barrier to its use.Contribution: This study underlines the state of POCUS use in Tshwane and highlights the barriers to its use, thus allowing academic heads and hospital managers to address them.
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