An Analysis of the Current Status and Influencing Factors in Nurse Practitioners' and Nurses' Use of Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS)

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) refers to ultrasound examinations performed at the bedside by frontline healthcare providers to assist in clinical assessment and real-time decision-making. Compared with conventional ultrasound, POCUS is characterized by its immediacy, non-invasiveness, and portability, enabling the provision of real-time imaging information during patient care. As such, it has increasingly become an important tool for supporting initial clinical evaluation and patient status assessment.

International studies have demonstrated that registered nurses (RNs) and nurse practitioners (NPs), following appropriate training, are capable of applying POCUS in various clinical contexts, including vascular access localization, assessment of pleural or abdominal effusion, and focused assessment with sonography in trauma. In countries such as the United States, Canada, and parts of Europe, POCUS has been incorporated into advanced nursing education and progressively implemented across emergency, critical care, and community healthcare settings. Structured training programs and certification systems have also been established to support nurses in performing bedside assessments and responding promptly to clinical needs across diverse healthcare environments.

In contrast, the application of POCUS among nursing professionals in Taiwan remains at an early stage of development. Traditionally, ultrasound examinations have been primarily performed by physicians or specialized technicians. However, with the increasing availability of handheld ultrasound devices and the introduction of international practices, some healthcare institutions and academic programs in Taiwan have begun to integrate POCUS into nursing education and training. Examples include incorporating handheld ultrasound training into clinical teaching and organizing workshops that offer both basic and advanced courses. Nevertheless, there is currently a lack of comprehensive, nationwide data regarding nurses' knowledge, clinical utilization, and training experiences related to POCUS in Taiwan.

Accordingly, this study aims to conduct a nationwide cross-sectional survey to comprehensively investigate the current status of POCUS use among registered nurses and nurse practitioners in Taiwan. Specifically, the study will examine nurses' ability to recognize POCUS applications and their perceptions of POCUS as a supportive clinical tool, as well as the scope and frequency of its use in clinical practice and their experiences with related education and training, including accessibility to educational resources. Furthermore, this study will compare differences in knowledge, utilization, and perceptions across nurses with different background characteristics, such as years of experience, clinical settings, educational exposure, and professional roles, in order to identify factors associated with the clinical implementation of POCUS. The findings are expected to provide important implications for future nursing education and clinical practice development.

Inclusion criteria

• Aged ≥20 years and able to read and understand Traditional Chinese.
• Self-reported current clinical practice in Taiwan as a licensed registered nurse (RN) or nurse practitioner (NP).
• Currently engaged in clinical work involving direct patient care, including but not limited to emergency departments, intensive care units, medical and surgical wards, operating rooms, anesthesia-related units, dialysis units, obstetrics and pediatrics, and outpatient settings.
• Have read the electronic study information sheet and voluntarily provided informed consent by selecting "I agree to participate in this study" before completing the questionnaire.

Exclusion criteria

• Not currently involved in direct patient care, or primarily engaged in administrative, managerial, educational, or research administrative roles (e.g., nursing supervisors, education and training administrative staff).
• Incomplete or inconsistent responses to key background information, rendering classification impossible.