Ultrasound is now an essential part of the medical examination. It helps determine the precise diagnosis in a huge variety of conditions, thereby allowing your doctor to organise a treatment plan. Unlike X-rays and CT scans, it does not use any ionising radiation so is completely safe.

Ultrasound is useful for:

1. Superficial lumps and bumps (including thyroid and testes)
2. Abdominal and pelvic abnormalities
3. Urinary symptoms (including blood in the urine)
4. Detection of deep venous thrombosis [DVT]
5. Assessment of carotid arteries
6. Musculoskeletal problems
7. Guiding fine needle aspiration [FNA], drainages and biopsies.

Please note, transvaginal, transrectal and breast scanning are considered inappropriate in the home setting.

Many patients are referred to one specialty only for subsequent investigations to redirect the patient to another specialty. This results in

1. a delay in diagnosis
2. possible unnecessary investigations and unnecessary costs
3. a delay in treatment.

The use of ultrasound early in the patient’s diagnostic pathway streamlines the investigations, speeds up the process and so saves money.

Ultrasound machines rely heavily on computer technology. The recent rapid advances in this technology means that high-quality portable machines are now available. These are used in the hospital setting for scanning patients too unwell to be trasported to the radiology department, such as those in ITU and A&E, and also to assist in the placement of intravenous lines and aiding interventional procedures.

Many admissions to hospital are simply to obtain a diagnosis but the patients may not receive any special treatment during their stay. Examples would include some cases of abdominal pain and if a diagnosis were to be made early then management might be possible as an outpatient.

Elderly and disabled patients find it difficult to get to hospital and require special transport (which is expensive); others may be too ill to travel easily (e.g. in a hospice); some may require family or friends to take them and these carers often have to take time off work to be able to do so. These groups of patients and their carers could be greatly helped by having an ultrasound scan in their home. There are many others who simply prefer the convenience of having the ultrasound at home. In all cases, patients want the necessary expertise and care from specialists regularly performing these investigations during their normal working week. For all of these reasons, Homescan is the answer.