Impact of Point-of-Care Ultrasound on the Management of Abdominal Pain in the Emergency Department: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) performed by family physicians on the management of abdominal pain in the emergency department, assessing its effect on length of stay, performance of complementary diagnostic tests, diagnostic concordance, and patient satisfaction. Methods: Quasi-experimental pilot study with a control group conducted in a hospital emergency department. A total of 222 adult patients with abdominal pain were included and allocated according to the attending professional (with or without ultrasound training). Clinical, care-related, and patient-satisfaction variables (SERVPERF questionnaire) were analyzed. Non-parametric statistical tests were used, and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. Results: The POCUS group showed a shorter length of stay (3.46 vs. 4.41 hours; p=0.022) and a lower number of plain radiographies (16.8% vs. 69.9%; p<0.001) and CT scans (p=0.034). Diagnostic concordance was significantly higher in the experimental group (99.2% vs. 75.7%; p<0.001). Overall satisfaction with received care was also higher in the intervention group (p<0.001), with significant differences observed across all evaluated dimensions. The multivariate model explained 26.6% of the variability, with patient satisfaction emerging as a positive predictor. Conclusions: POCUS improves the quality of care in emergency departments by reducing length of stay and the use of complementary diagnostic tests while increasing diagnostic accuracy and patient satisfaction. Its implementation can be considered an effective and potentially cost-effective strategy; however, further studies with greater methodological robustness are required to validate the development of standardized composite indexes.

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