Cardiac Point-of-Care Ultrasound Use and Barriers Among Adult Hospitalists at an Academic Center

BACKGROUND: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) plays an important and growing role in many fields of medicine, including the inpatient practice of internal medicine. Despite the mounting evidence that POCUS significantly improves the quality of patient care, barriers to implementation remain. PROJECT RATIONALE: We aimed to assess cardiac POCUS practices, attributes, knowledge, and barriers among adult hospitalists at an academic level I trauma center. PROJECT SUMMARY: A cross-sectional survey of adult inpatient hospitalists was conducted between November and December 2025. The 27-question survey assessed cardiac POCUS knowledge, perceived clinical value, and barriers to routine use. Results demonstrated significant knowledge deficits across multiple domains as well as barriers in formal training and access to equipment. TAKE-HOME MESSAGE: Adult hospitalists reported lack of formal training (52.0%), time constraints (22.0%), and access to equipment (15.0%) as significant barriers to cardiac POCUS implementation, leading to noteworthy knowledge discrepancies.