ReviewThe ultrasound journal2025
Exploring the adoption of diaphragm and lung ultrasound (DLUS) by physiotherapists, physical therapists, and respiratory therapists: an updated scoping review.
Review in The ultrasound journal, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 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
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- The impact of physiotherapy led lung ultrasound on patient management: A single centre service evaluation.Journal of the Intensive Care Society · 2026Article
- Exploring the training, implementation and utilisation experiences of lung ultrasound accredited physiotherapists in the United Kingdom: A national survey.Journal of the Intensive Care Society · 2026Article
- Ten Questions on Using Lung Ultrasonography to Diagnose and Manage Pneumonia in Hospital-at-Home Model: Part III-Synchronicity and Foresight.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Global Trends and Hotspots in Ultrasound Imaging for Rehabilitation Research: A Bibliometric and Visualization Analysis.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2025Article
- Highlighting the year's most transformative research as voted by the editorial board: Exploring knowledge gaps and research needs in respiratory therapy.Canadian journal of respiratory therapy : CJRT = Revue canadienne de la therapie respiratoire : RCTR · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe adoption of diaphragm and lung ultrasound (DLUS) by physiotherapists, physical therapists, and respiratory therapists ("therapists") to examine and assess the diaphragm and lungs continues to grow. The aim of this updated scoping review is to re-explore and re-collate the evidence around the adoption of DLUS by therapists.
methodsThis scoping review followed the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Data sources searched included AMED, EmCare, CINAHL, Embase, Medline, PubMed and Pedro. Grey literature sources were searched alongside communication with leading authors in the field. The Participants, Concept and Context (PCC) approach was employed to formulate the research question. A charting form was developed and piloted to extract: title, authors, year of publication, country of origin, professional group involved (population), lung or diaphragm ultrasound (concept), evaluation method, educational, clinical or research setting (context), subject/disease/patient group, sample size, study design and professional group performing DLUS.
results133 studies met all inclusion criteria, an increase of 107 new studies compared to the original scoping review searches 7-years ago. Studies were included from 17 new countries and included 17 new participant populations. Lung ultrasound saw the largest increase in study number with education and implementation emerging as a new area of investigation. Full list of included studies is provided in Supplementary File 1.
conclusionThe number of DLUS studies involving therapists continues to show international growth with studies investigating an increasing range of participant populations. Published studies now include research on DLUS adoption, implementation, and utility amongst all three of the therapy professions who use DLUS. The potential of DLUS and its direct impact on patient outcomes still needs to be explored further. However, DLUS remains a novel and innovative imaging technique in the hands of physiotherapists, physical therapists, and respiratory therapists as its utility continues to grow in various research, clinical and educational settings.
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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.