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>The technician just had me hold my breath while she put some jelly on my abdomen and moved the device around. Once in a while she would take ultrasound picture
by gozur88 9y ago
>The technician just had me hold my breath while she put some jelly on my abdomen and moved the device around. Once in a while she would take ultrasound pictures. Snap, snap, move, breath, snap.
Well, yes, and she probably went to school for quite some time to know exactly what gets a picture and what doesn't.
This is like saying "I had an appendectomy, and all the surgeon did was make some cuts an sew me up." You're not going to a surgeon because he owns a scalpel.
- ndh2 9y agoThis is not a good comparison. The GP has the technician do the imaging, but the real problem is not so much getting the image, but interpreting what's on it. This is a skill that the GP has to have either way.
- mlrtime 9y agoThe GP surely has the skills to take and read the scan.
- giarc 9y agoBut it's not efficient use of their time. Ultrasound techs do the imaging/take the photos, and the physician reviews them. Ultrasound techs make less money than physicians, that's why physicians are taken out of that part of the process. It's like saying "The dentist should also clean my teeth". Well their time is better spent on procedures, leave the cleaning to the hygienist.
- pjwMD 9y agoIn the outpatient setting it might take days or a week or more to get an appointment for a formal US, then more time for the radiologist to read it, then more time for the GP to get the results and consider treatment changes then more time to get in touch With the patient. But if I as a physician perform and interpret the ultrasound in real time I can immediately begin appropriate therapy. This is the major benefit of point-of-care US as opposed to conventional US.