Highlights
In this qualitative study of 18 adults receiving point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) in emergency department or inpatient general internal medicine settings, patients generally described PoCUS as a positive part of care rather than merely a diagnostic procedure.
Three themes emerged: PoCUS provided emotional reassurance and practical convenience; patient impressions of PoCUS were inseparable from their impressions of overall clinician behavior and care quality; and favorable experiences were grounded largely in trust in physicians rather than in technical understanding of ultrasound itself.
