Portable abdominal sonographic findings and characteristics of service users in the community

Abstract

Background/Purpose: Home healthcare users and institution residents are thought to receive insufficient medical service due to their inconvenience to visit the hospital. Portable ultrasound (US) may overcome the problem of accessibility, and services can be provided directly in the community. We aimed to report portable US findings and characteristics of service users in the settings of these vulnerable patients. Methods: This was a retrospective epidemiological report of portable US findings in homecare patients and institution residents. Patients in homecare settings and residents of two long-term care institutions affiliated with a community medical center were enrolled. Portable US was performed during regular visits in the community. The participants’ medical records were used to retrieve general data, health condition and main diagnoses. Subgroup analysis was performed. Results: The 132 participants included 44 (33.3%) homecare patients and 88 (66.7%) institution residents. The most common findings were fatty liver in 33 (25.0%) cases and gallbladder stones in 30 (22.7%) cases. Compared to institution residents, homecare patients had higher proportion (38.6% vs. 8.0%, p <0.001) of hepatobiliary findings on portable US, mainly liver cirrhosis. The proportion of other findings showed no significant difference between the two groups. Conclusion: Portable US improved the accessibility to medical service of homecare patients and institution residents. Fatty liver and gallstones were the most common problems detected among this vulnerable group. Homecare and institution patients may need portable US due to difficulties in medical accessibility. Further large scale study is warranted.