Exploring views on Lung Ultrasound use within Paediatric Physiotherapy
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The use of lung ultrasound by Physiotherapists within a paediatric setting in Leicester: Exploration of health care professional views and retrospective case studies.
IRAS ID
277677
Contact name
Ian McGonagle
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Lincoln
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 4 months, 6 days
Research summary
Respiratory Physiotherapists help treat lung pathology in hospitalised patients. Physiotherapists have developed a range of assessment tools to accurately diagnose and treat lung pathology. However these tools lack accuracy and the outcome of them is very subjective depending on the person using them. Accurate diagnosis is important to physiotherapists as it guides treatment selection and monitors its effectiveness to ensure the best care is given to the patient. Lung Ultrasound is more accurate than chest x-ray and auscultation in diagnosing/monitoring lung pathology. Lung ultrasound can therefore help Physiotherapists to deliver the most appropriate treatment to their patients and accurately monitor their effectiveness. Lung ultrasound is therefore a popular skill for physiotherapists to learn, develop and add to their assessment techniques in order to improve patient care. Despite this increase in popularity lung ultrasound is not a core skill available to or possessed by all senior or clinical specialist respiratory Physiotherapists. It is a skill only possessed by few Physiotherapists around the country and is dependent on the support of the surrounding multi-disciplinary team.
Accredited training programmes and competencies in ultrasound are now available to facilitate the autonomous use of lung ultrasound within Physiotherapy
However to use it clinically the support of team managers and mentorship of consultants and/or radiographers is essential.
Given the important role, these professionals have in the use of lung ultrasound by Physiotherapists and previous research highlighting their support as a barrier to its use it is important to further understand their views on Physiotherapists using Lung ultrasound. No research has looked at this or looked at how current physiotherapists have found lung ultrasound has impacted their practice and patient care.
The views may provide or identify more detailed research, which enables/facilitates lung ultrasound into Paediatric Physiotherapy practice and makes it more readily accessible to Physiotherapists. It may also provide/highlight barriers to its use, which can be used to direct future research in the development of lung ultrasound within Physiotherapy.REC name
N/A
REC reference
N/A