The ultrasound pillar has been developing for the promotion and improvement of diagnostic and procedural safety for the last 5 years. It’s focus has been on the review if current practices of focused ultrasound (PoCUS-Point of Care Ultrasound) and developing a practical teaching program with a focus on ultrasound guided vascular access. Collaborations with university and other HHS units in the latter are developing with a recent joint successful NHMRC grant to enhance the program further.
The team consisting of consultants, an ultrasound fellow (12 months), special skills terms for registrars (6 month terms) and students has had several articles published in recent years, received grants from NHMRC, Emergency Medicine Foundation and SERTA.
Research focus –
Lung – evaluation of pleural based diseases and role of lung ultrasound in diagnosis
Biliary – development of clinical pathways including focused ultrasound in the evaluation of right upper quadrant pain
Focused ECHO is life support – improving recognition, diagnosis and management of cardiac arrest patients
Procedural safety – role of ultrasound in emergency procedures to improve accuracy and success
Peripheral IV cannulation – improve the identification of the difficult IV access patient (DIVA), optimise conditions for improvement to first pass cannulation rates.
Fractures – identification and management of forearm buckle fractures in children
The Team
| Name | Job Title |
| Dr Stuart Watkins | Program lead – Senior Emergency Physician |
| Dr Peter Snelling | Program lead – Paediatric Emergency Physician |
| Dr Amy Archer-Jones | Emergency Physician – Vascular access project |
| Dr Balvinder Grewal | Emergency Physician – Focused ECHO in cardiac arrest |
| Dr Tasha Power | Emergency Physician |
| Dr Alan Gillespie | Emergency Physician |
| Dr Tarek El-Sayed | Fellow – 2020 |
| Dr Alex Joyce | Registrar – SST (Feb-Aug 2020) |
| Dr Sarah Stoneman | Registrar – SST (Aug-Feb 2020/1) |
| Ms Aoife Reynolds | Research Nurse |
Research Themes-
To demonstrate the safe and effective practice of focused ultrasound in emergency medicine to enhance diagnostic accuracy, risk stratification, appropriate resource utilisation and improvements to disposition decision making. The role focused ultrasound can play in the Choosing Wisely program and demonstrated improvements in our procedural skills with particular focus on the commonest procedure of them all, the insertion of a peripheral IV cannula.
Collaborations and partnerships
AVATAR – Alliance for Vascular Access Training and Research – Griffith University
BOND University – final year medical student MD program
AIU – Australasian Institute of Ultrasound – Training facility and research partner, Broadbeach
