Is there a place for point-of-care ultrasound in UK primary care?

Point-of-care ultrasound (PoC-US), defined as an ultrasound examination performed and interpreted in real time during a patient’s consultation, has been described as the ‘stethoscope of the future’.1 Portable ultrasound devices are becoming smaller, more sensitive, and more affordable, with handheld options costing only a few thousand pounds. As a result, interest in PoC-US as an add-on to the traditional clinical assessment of patients is growing,2 and basic training is now included in the undergraduate medical curriculum of some UK universities. This leads to the question: could PoC-US have a role in UK primary care, alongside the traditional clinical examination and symptom appraisal?