Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39523326›Full record

ArticleScandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine2024

Prehospital ultrasound constitutes a potential distraction from the observation of critically ill patients: a prospective simulation study.

Yael van der Geest, Luca Marengo, Roland Albrecht, Philipp K Buehler, Pedro D Wendel-Garcia, Daniel A Hofmaenner, Urs Pietsch

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In one paragraph

Article in Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Observational
  3. Article
  4. Evolving role of point-of-care ultrasound in prehospital emergency care: a narrative review.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2025
    Review
  5. Echoes of precision: feedback, governance and ultrasound in prehospital care.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Yael van der GeestSchool of Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-5935-8482
Luca MarengoSwiss Air-Ambulance Rega, Zurich, Switzerland.
Roland AlbrechtSwiss Air-Ambulance Rega, Zurich, Switzerland.
Philipp K BuehlerInstitute of Intensive Care Medicine, Cantonal Hospital Winterthur, Zurich, Switzerland.
Pedro D Wendel-GarciaInstitute of Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Daniel A HofmaennerInstitute of Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Urs PietschSwiss Air-Ambulance Rega, Zurich, Switzerland. urs.pietsch@kssg.ch.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6957-2638

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPrehospital point-of-care ultrasound allows an unstable patient to be rapidly and accurately assessed. However, we are concerned that an excessive focus on the ultrasound device, in an already demanding emergency medical service environment, may distract from patient care, potentially leading to reduced situational awareness and the neglect of other crucial instruments, such as the patient monitor. Thus, in this study, we examined the influence of prehospital ultrasound on situational awareness, by studying the degree to which physicians were distracted from the patient monitor.

methodsWe observed HEMS physicians in a simulated setting and analysed their gaze behaviour using an eye tracker placed on three areas of interests: the ultrasound device, the patient and the patient monitor. In the course of the experiment, the simulated patient desaturated, which was presented on the patient monitor. The primary outcome was the fraction of gaze distribution across the three areas of interest, while secondary outcomes were different gaze metrics (dwell time, revisits, average duration of visual intake and entry time) on the patient monitor. We then compared the participants who noticed the patient's deterioration with those who did not.

resultsIn 75% of cases, the severely decreased oxygen saturation went unnoticed during the test. Moreover, the gaze distribution of the two groups differed, with the group that recognised the deterioration focusing longer on the patient monitor (7.8% (95% CI 5-10.7) vs 0.1% (95% CI 0-0.3), p: 0.124).

conclusionsThe task of performing an ultrasound examination appears to overwhelm some participants and distract them from other aspects of the scenario. Efforts to mitigate distractions and optimise the use of prehospital ultrasound, such as education, a focus on human factors aspects and standardisation, are crucial for maximising the potential benefits of prehospital ultrasound.

Indexed as

Critical IllnessEmergency Medical ServicesUltrasonographyAdultAttentionFemaleHumansMalePoint-of-Care SystemsProspective StudiesEye trackingGaze behaviourHEMSHuman factorPrehospital ultrasoundSituational awareness

Identifiers

PMID39523326
PMCPMC11550535

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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.