POCUS is an imaging modality. Period. It can be used to auscultate, but Doppler ultrasound is not as precise as the stethoscope when used by a practiced listener for identifying the source and subtle characteristics of murmurs.2 The stethoscope remains an outstanding, inexpensive, and convenient screening tool and its use needs to be emphasized.
I strongly believe in training all medical students in POCUS—but as a complementary and adjunctive tool—not as something to replace a perfectly functional piece of equipment used around the world to provide good care.
Todd Fredricks, DO
Athens, Ohio