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

NCT07505108 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 202602025RINC
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 1,000
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study targets clinical nurses and nurse practitioners in Taiwan, with an anticipated sample size of approximately 1,000 participants. A cross-sectional survey design will be employed, using an electronic questionnaire to collect data on healthcare professionals' knowledge of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), its clinical scope and frequency of use, attitudes toward its clinical application, and experiences with related education and training. Upon completion of data collection, descriptive statistics will be used to present the current status of POCUS utilization. Additionally, differences in knowledge, attitudes, and usage patterns across participants with varying background characteristics will be compared to identify factors associated with the clinical implementation of POCUS.

Conditions

Point-of-Care Ultrasound

Keywords

Point-of-Care Ultrasound; POCUS

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Knowledge of POCUS applications

  This outcome measures participants' knowledge of clinical applications of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) using a structured questionnaire. The knowledge score is calculated as the total number of correct responses to multiple-choice items (range: 0-5). Higher scores indicate greater knowledge of POCUS applications.

  At baseline (single time point, upon survey completion)

• Frequency of POCUS use

  This outcome measures the frequency of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) use using a structured questionnaire. For each selected clinical application, participants report their average frequency of POCUS use based on predefined categories: occasional (\<2 times/week), sometimes (2-3 times/week), often (4-5 times/week), and almost daily (≥6 times/week). Responses are coded on a 4-point ordinal scale (1-4), where higher scores indicate more frequent use of POCUS. The overall frequency score is calculated as the average score across all selected items.

  At baseline (single time point, upon survey completion)

• POCUS utilization behavior

  This outcome measures participants' utilization of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) across clinical applications using a structured checklist questionnaire. Participants select all applicable POCUS uses in three domains: physical assessment, diagnostic evaluation, and procedural assistance. Each selected item is coded as 1 (yes) and non-selected items as 0 (no). Domain-specific scores are calculated as the sum of selected items within each domain, and a total utilization score is calculated by summing all selected items across domains (range: 0-18). Higher scores indicate broader utilization of POCUS in clinical practice.

  At baseline (single time point, upon survey completion)

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Facilitating factors for POCUS use (multiple-response questionnaire)

  At baseline (single time point, upon survey completion)

• Key facilitator and POCUS training exposure (categorical measures)

  At baseline (single time point, upon survey completion)

Study Arms (1)

Nurse Practitioners and Nurses

Nurse Practitioners and Nurses

Other: No intervention

Interventions

No intervention OTHER

No intervention

Nurse Practitioners and Nurses

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 20 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Self-reported current clinical practice in Taiwan as a licensed registered nurse (RN) or nurse practitioner (NP).

You may qualify if:

• 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.

You may not qualify if:

• 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.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Taiwan University Hospital: lead

Study Sites (1)

National Taiwan University, College of Medicine, School of Nursing

Taipei, 100, Taiwan

Location

Central Study Contacts

Ming-zhi Chang

CONTACT

+886-953-989-035; mlb92311@hotmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: OTHER
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 18, 2026
• First Posted: April 1, 2026
• Study Start: April 7, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026
• Last Updated: April 1, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Locations

TW (1)