Point-of-Care Ultrasound Reduces Emergency Visits by 81%, Improves Early Pregnancy Care: Study Finds

Published in Annals of Family Medicine, a University of Minnesota Medical School research team found that implementing point-of-care ultrasounds (Annals of Family Medicine) to assess the viability and gestational age of pregnancies in the first trimester enhanced care for pregnant patients and cut emergency visits by 81% for non-miscarrying patients.

Previously, early pregnancy care was provided through separate appointments for ultrasound, risk assessment and patient education. This new integrated approach allows patients who are under 14 weeks pregnant to receive comprehensive care during a single visit. This includes ultrasound-based pregnancy dating, immediate assessment of pregnancy viability, risk evaluation and on-site counseling — all based on real-time ultrasound results.

The research team introduced this integrated approach at M Health Fairview Clinic - Bethesda in fall 2022, allowing the clinic to quickly identify high-risk cases and offer timely intervention for issues such as miscarriage or abnormal pregnancies. They found:

• The clinic saw an 81% reduction in emergency visits, urgent clinic appointments and first-trimester phone inquiries for non-miscarrying patients.