• Author
    Christopher Rodriguez
  • Discovery PI

    Sarah Goldgar, MD

  • Project Co-Author

    Geena Conde, Sarah Hinton, My Nguyen

  • Abstract Title

    Developing a Point-of-Care Ultrasound Guide to Evaluate Skin and Soft Tissue Infections at the UCLA Mobile Clinic Project

  • Discovery AOC Petal or Dual Degree Program

    Health Justice & Advocacy

  • Abstract

    Background: The UCLA Mobile Clinic Project (MCP) is a student-run, street-side clinic supporting our unhoused neighbors in Hollywood. More than one-third of clients at MCP seek treatment for dermatologic concerns, with oral antibiotics being some of the most commonly prescribed. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has become increasingly popular across medical specialties and has demonstrated the ability to improve the accuracy of distinguishing skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) compared to physical examination alone. Despite this, evidence of POCUS use in street medicine settings, especially for the evaluation of SSTIs, remains largely absent. 

    Objectives: 

    1. Create a guide for attending physicians to distinguish SSTIs based on POCUS findings.

    2. Assess provider perspectives on the readiness for and feasibility of implementing POCUS at MCP.

    3. Provide our unhoused neighbors with access to POCUS, a high-quality health service, for SSTI evaluations directly in their community.

    Methods: This study utilized a multi-phase implementation design. The initial development phase consisted of a retrospective chart review on the dermatologic needs of MCP clients, followed by a literature review on the utility of POCUS for evaluating SSTIs in both emergency room and dermatology office settings. Meanwhile, educational materials were created, including a 16-page guide for evaluating SSTIs, an outline of the proposed POCUS workflow at MCP, and an on-site cheat sheet with summarized information on POCUS setup and key features of cellulitis and abscesses. The training phase consisted of teaching attending physicans at MCP (n=5) proper POCUS technique through a standardized training led by the Director of Ultrasound Education at DGSOM.

    Impact/Effectiveness: As of February 2026, this project is in the implementation phase, where clients are screened for SSTIs during triage and subsequently evaluated with POCUS. During this phase, the clinical workflow for using POCUS at MCP is developed iteratively. Attending physicians have completed baseline surveys assessing perceived readiness and feasibility prior to launching POCUS at MCP. Providers will complete similar surveys at 3 months post-implementation to examine changes in attitude. Thus far, 12 clients have been triaged for possible SSTIs, 8 of which were evaluated with POCUS. These data will be analyzed to determine if POCUS findings resulted in changes to diagnoses and/or management.

    Lessons Learned: POCUS is a low-cost and portable medical tool that has demonstrated utility for evaluating SSTIs in many settings, including those considered resource-limited. However, to our knowledge, the utilization of POCUS in student-run, street-side settings has not been evaluated meaningfully through standardized research methods. Implementation of POCUS at MCP is therefore perceived to be feasible and acceptable, and has the potential to guide clinical decision-making when SSTI diagnosis is uncertain. Next steps include establishing an ongoing POCUS team within MCP leadership to ensure our unhoused neighbors maintain long-term access to rapid and high-quality health services.

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