{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]],"date-time":"2026-09-08T14:07:45Z","timestamp":1788876465286,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":17,"publisher":"Wiley","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]],"date-time":"2026-09-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788825600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]],"date-time":"2026-09-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788825600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Internal Medicine Journal"],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Point\u2010of\u2010care ultrasound (POCUS) is increasingly used in general medicine to support focussed bedside diagnosis and management. However, many implementation models depend on individual clinicians scanning their own patients. This limits equity of access, slows accumulation of provider experience and makes rapid departmental scale\u2010up challenging. To describe the development and early implementation of a hybrid general medicine consultative POCUS service designed to improve access and scalability at a quaternary teaching hospital in Australia. In February 2025, the Alfred Health General Medicine Department implemented a consultative POCUS model delivered by credentialled specialists and a POCUS fellow. The model combined clinician\u2010performed scans for patients under credentialled providers with an intradepartmental referral service for other general medicine patients. Scans were performed predominantly during business hours and documented using a structured template. Critical findings were verbally communicated. Key implementation elements included formal departmental credentialling, device access, a departmental logbook and active case\u2010finding during the initial implementation phase. Major challenges included limited credentialled provider availability, variable clinician familiarity with POCUS, image storage limitations and dependence on a dedicated fellow. Over 12 months, 683 scans were performed, representing approximately one out of five admissions to the Alfred General Medicine wards. Most studies involved cardiac, pulmonary or combined cardiopulmonary assessment. Our experience suggests a hybrid consultative model may be a feasible approach to improving access to POCUS and accelerating departmental adoption during early implementation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1111\/imj.70624","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]],"date-time":"2026-09-08T13:14:34Z","timestamp":1788873274000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Point\u2010of\u2010care ultrasound in general medicine: establishing a new service"],"prefix":"10.1111","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2557-6164","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Patrick","family":"Elliott","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General Medicine Alfred Health  Melbourne Victoria Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nicole","family":"Evans","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General Medicine Alfred Health  Melbourne Victoria Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Richard","family":"Coates","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General Medicine Alfred Health  Melbourne Victoria Australia"},{"name":"Monash School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine Monash University  Melbourne Victoria Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Noor","family":"Lammoza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General Medicine Alfred Health  Melbourne Victoria Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6220-4362","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Harry","family":"Gibbs","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General Medicine Alfred Health  Melbourne Victoria Australia"},{"name":"Monash School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine Monash University  Melbourne Victoria Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_8_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1811","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mayocp.2016.08.023","article-title":"Point\u2010of\u2010care ultrasonography for primary care physicians and general internists","volume":"91","author":"Bhagra A","year":"2016","journal-title":"Mayo Clin Proc"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ejim.2025.06.005","article-title":"Point of care ultrasound: focus on evidence for a critical appraisal","volume":"141","author":"Ceriani E","year":"2025","journal-title":"Eur J Intern Med"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1677","DOI":"10.1111\/imj.70127","article-title":"Defining the scope of point\u2010of\u2010care ultrasound in internal medicine: a consensus statement by the point\u2010of\u2010care special interest group of the Internal Medicine Society of Australia and New Zealand","volume":"55","author":"Cid\u2010Serra X","year":"2025","journal-title":"Intern Med J"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1155\/2017\/6248687","article-title":"Effect of focused bedside ultrasonography in hypotensive patients on the clinical decision of emergency physicians","volume":"2017","author":"Sasmaz MI","year":"2017","journal-title":"Emerg Med Int"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"352","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajem.2014.12.003","article-title":"Diagnostic performance of cardiopulmonary ultrasound performed by the emergency physician in the management of acute dyspnea","volume":"33","author":"Gallard E","year":"2015","journal-title":"Am J Emerg Med"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_7_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"46","DOI":"10.5811\/westjem.2015.11.28525","article-title":"Point\u2010of\u2010care multi\u2010organ ultrasound improves diagnostic accuracy in adults presenting to the emergency department with acute dyspnea","volume":"17","author":"Mantuani D","year":"2016","journal-title":"West J Emerg Med"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_8_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"638","DOI":"10.1016\/S2213-2600(14)70135-3","article-title":"Point\u2010of\u2010care ultrasonography in patients admitted with respiratory symptoms: a single\u2010blind, randomised controlled trial","volume":"2","author":"Laursen CB","year":"2014","journal-title":"Lancet Respir Med"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_9_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"170","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ultrasmedbio.2021.09.013","article-title":"Clinical impact of point\u2010of\u2010care ultrasound in internal medicine inpatients: a systematic review","volume":"48","author":"Cid\u2010Serra X","year":"2022","journal-title":"Ultrasound Med Biol"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_10_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"184","DOI":"10.24908\/pocus.v8i2.16791","article-title":"Association of internal medicine point of care ultrasound (POCUS) with length of stay, 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