A survey published in the Journal of Radiology Nursing has listed the top 25 point-of-care ultrasound practice domains, called "POCUS25", with the highest spots going to the pneumothorax, pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade detection, normal lung ultrasound and basic practical physics. The findings show that while the POCUS25 practice domains are important to nearly every medical specialty, the top domains are in acute care settings like emergency medicine, critical care and trauma.

Diagnostic delay of interstitial lung disease could be decreased among patients with rheumatoid arthritis through a combination of systematic screening for respiratory symptoms and thoracic ultrasound. The findings were published in the journal Arthritis Care & Research.

Data from FAIR Health show that telehealth accounted for 4.8% of medical claim lines in the US in January, with the West having the most telehealth claim lines at 6.3% and the South having the lowest at 3.6%. Mental health conditions comprised 66.3% of claim lines, the most-diagnosed condition during that period, followed by acute respiratory diseases and infections and patient examinations.

A heart failure telehealth program helped rural Navajo Nation patients increase their use of guideline-directed medical therapy, researchers reported in JAMA Internal Medicine. At study's end, most eligible patients were on appropriate medications, and 81% of those needing quadruple therapy were taking it. The model was applied to adults with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, and researchers said the program could be used effectively in other areas where care access is limited.

A new survey by Wolters Kluwer Health shows doctors are becoming more willing to use AI technology in patient care, while a separate survey shows patients are still dubious about physicians using the technology. The physician survey included 100 hospital-based physicians, who also noted they would need transparency from AI vendors and would need to delve into how the AI tools were trained in order to fully trust the information.

A Medscape report estimates that 18% of US oncologists are considering leaving their jobs due to severe burnout, citing bureaucratic tasks, long work hours and inadequate compensation as top contributing factors. Researchers polled 9,226 physicians from 29 specialties last year, and surveyed oncologists said several workplace measures would help, including hiring additional support staff, increasing physician control, raising compensation, allowing more flexible schedules and reducing patient loads.

A report from National Council on Aging and WISER found that low-income and rural women have concerns about saving enough for retirement and affording health care costs later in life. "Clearly, we must begin to make the future more secure for women of all ages and incomes," said Cindy Hounsell, president of WISER.

A Gallup survey showed that 57% of respondents would feel better if they had more robust sleep, while 42% said they were getting adequate rest. In 2013 the figures were nearly in reverse, with 43% saying they would feel better with more sleep and 56% noting that their rest was adequate. Men were more likely than women to report good sleep.

Jim Fish, the CEO of Waste Management, says he didn't really know what he wanted to do in his life until the age of 50, but along the way, he credits mentors who helped him find his way and warns other leaders to check themselves whenever they feel like they're the most brilliant one in the room. "Once you start feeling like, 'You know what? I am the best,' you should reflect a bit because, first of all, that doesn't come off very well, and second, it's probably not true," Fish says.

The US plans to work with 50 other nations on a testing, preparedness, surveillance and communication plan to help countries better address future pandemics. The new Global Health Security Strategy aims to protect populations worldwide and "make the United States stronger, safer, and healthier than ever before at this critical moment," said President Joe Biden, who is looking for $1.2 billion in global health safety funding in his latest budget proposal.

The POCUS25 study aims to identify the top 25 POCUS domains across global healthcare, facilitating the establishment of core competencies, scope of practice, and practice guidelines for clinicians and educators alike. The grassroots survey envisions POCUS25 as the essential skill set for all POCUS users within a population health model. Learn more about the Top 25 Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Community-Defined Practice Domains!