Systematic review of the major approaches to the use of prehospital ultrasound

Introduction: Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) hasbeen established as an ideal imagingmodality when used by clinicians trained in the clinical setting. Thus, sophisticated but relatively inexpensive handheld devices have also contributed to point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) becoming the norm at the prehospital level. Objective: This study aimed to present, through systematic review, the main considerations about the use of ultrasound at the point of care at the prehospital level. Methods: The present study followed a systematic review model. After criteria of literary search using MeSH Terms, a total of 54 clinical studies were collated and submitted to the eligibility analysis and, after that, 16 studies were selected, following the rules of PRISMA. The search strategy was performed in the PubMed, Embase, Ovid and Cochrane Library, Web Of Science, ScienceDirect Journals (Elsevier), Scopus (Elsevier), OneFile databases. Major Findings and Conclusion: On-site ultrasound is spreading through Emergency Medicine, Critical Care, and Prehospital Care. However, there is an underlying inherited conflict with established specialties by conducting comprehensive examinations. Thus, in-service ultrasound in the light of disruptive innovation is a different perspective than ultrasound that had not been academically examined before. Therefore, it can be concluded that the ultrasound in the hospital can be implemented in several medical fields for bedside examination of patients, especially in the prehospital environment. Scientific evidence supports the fact that the addition of ultrasound technology in daily practice (portable ultrasound device), called by some 'future stethoscope', improves patient care and allows early diagnosis in a hospital setting.