Issue link: https://kusm-wichita.uberflip.com/i/1545861
A patient with a sore, swollen knee goes to their family medicine or internal medicine doctor. A visit to the orthopaedist isn't yet warranted or could be many miles or months off if scheduled. That's a case where POCUS — point-of-care ultrasound — in the trained hands of their primary care doctor can start delivering answers. "It's done at the bedside by the provider, and the provider is imaging in real time," says Eli Brumfield, D.O., internal medicine associate professor and medical director of the KU School of Medicine-Wichita Simulation Center. "They can make a lot of decisions right there, because they can see the problem right away." Ultrasound, which uses sound waves to examine organs, tissue and other body parts, is not new, of course. It's the technology that performs echocardiograms of the heart and produces the sonograms — the fetal images — that bring news good, bad and worrisome to expectant parents. Those are formal studies with set things to measure and document, as opposed to POCUS, which is a timesaving diagnostic tool used to get preliminary answers and set care paths. The equipment ranges from lightweight hand-held probes that can display images on a smartphone — perfect for mission trips — to more involved versions on stands combining probes and displays. "A lot of times patients still need a traditional radiology scan, but POCUS accelerates the care. It's used a lot FOR POINT-OF-CARE ULTRASOUND AND MODEL PHARMACY TRAINING, NEW CAMPUS MEANS BETTER FACILITIES New campus will enable higher focus for POCUS Better facilities, better programs 18