Ultrasound is the most affordable imaging modality that has the broadest range of benefits. The ultrasound, when implemented, will provide a diagnostic tool that is true Point-of-Care, that gives you the ability to, on the spot, visualize what the patient is complaining about. With this kind of easy to access technology, there is absolutely no reason to go about patient treatment blindly, or without clearly documenting and defining your findings.
Documenting a patient's diagnosis with high-quality diagnostic images, for evaluation, treatment, and post-treatment follow up, puts your practice of medicine on an all-new playing field. Using ultrasound as a standard of care stands out from the old way of practicing medicine and provides doctors a way to work more efficiently, and proactively. Proactive medical care is rewarding for the doctor and for the patient being treated. Proactive medical care is the first step to healing an issue rather than continuing the current standard of simply putting a band-aid on issues.
A patient wants to know that a doctor is being proactive in their healthcare. A patient wants to know that the doctor is using all the best diagnostic tools at his disposal to help diagnose an issue, identify the root cause of the issue, and then to provide the best treatment possible. Ultrasound is a phenomenal diagnostic tool that helps the doctor in visualizing an issue through quick imaging for immediate results and a significant way to share a diagnosis with a patient. From this same imaging, a doctor can walk a patient through a treatment plan, and the on-hand, high-quality imaging allows the patient to be part of the solution to their own healthcare instead of a bystander to their healthcare.
Ultrasound imaging provides the doctor a clear and confirmed diagnosis, rather than the old method of attempting a diagnosis through touch and feel. The ultrasound can be seen as the modern-day stethoscope considering the amazing technology that is available at affordable pricing. Ultrasound imaging isn’t just for the hospital and should see its place in the offices of a vast majority of medical specialties. With ultrasound, you can visualize almost everything in the body from the head to the toes.
One of the fastest growing medical specialty using ultrasound today is found in the MSK / Orthopedic specialty. Ultrasound imaging is so precise that you can now see structures as small as the spacing between the fibers of a tendon, the space between the sheath of the tendon and the fibers of the tendon, which incidentally can measure as small as .1 mm. This small measurement is important for doctors concerned about how to best diagnose and find best treatments for patients suffering from pains and strains. The ultrasound helps to see the root cause of the issue and helps the doctor deliver with utmost accuracy a pharmaceutical treatment or Regenerative Medicine treatment.
Ultrasound technology is rapidly developing giving doctors details to a level that can be even more useful in some instances than many of the larger diagnostic imaging modalities like CT, MRI, X-ray, and Mammography. Doctors are beginning to use ultrasound in breast imaging to help see abnormalities as small as 4 and 5 millimeters, smaller than what can even be seen with mammography. With 3D / 4D technology doctors are able to see better pictures of the heart or even amazing images of a baby in a pregnant mother.
This technology is affordable and easy to implement in an office. The ultrasound should be the most valuable tool that a doctor adds to his daily practice standards for best patient care.
Ultrasound is great and generally safe.
The only issue is technician error.
It is very hard to become a skilled technician. There are very few and it comes with many years of experience.
Skilled technicians are out there, and can truly have a huge impact on a medical practice. I work with a few extremely talented sonographers. The way medicine in the US is practiced up to this point hasn't out enough weight on the value of these high quality sonographers. I know a handful of sonographers that have a better grasp on anatomy under imaging than the doctors. Times are changing and doctors need to embrace the new technologies and implement point of care ultrasound.