AI Article Synopsis
- Obstetric ultrasound is a crucial part of pregnancy care in Vietnam, yet access varies across regions, and the study aimed to gather health professionals' insights on ultrasound use and its impact on clinical management.
- A survey involved 289 obstetricians and 535 midwives from 29 healthcare facilities in the Hanoi area, revealing strong support (88%) for ultrasound in determining gestational age and reporting an average of six necessary ultrasound exams during uncomplicated pregnancies.
- While access to ultrasound is generally high, 37% of participants indicated inadequate training, highlighting the need for improved equipment and training to enhance ultrasound skills and overall pregnancy management.
Article Abstract
Objectives: Obstetric ultrasound is an important part of antenatal care in Vietnam, although there are great differences in access to antenatal care and ultrasound services across the country. The aim of this study was to explore Vietnamese health professionals' experiences and views of obstetric ultrasound in relation to clinical management, resources and skills.
Design: A cross-sectional questionnaire study was performed as part of the CROss Country UltraSound study.
Setting: Health facilities (n=29) in urban, semiurban and rural areas of Hanoi region in Vietnam.
Participants: Participants were 289 obstetricians/gynaecologists and 535 midwives.
Results: A majority (88%) of participants agreed that 'every woman should undergo ultrasound examination' during pregnancy to determine gestational age. Participants reported an average of six ultrasound examinations as medically indicated during an uncomplicated pregnancy. Access to ultrasound at participants' workplaces was reported as always available regardless of health facility level. Most participants performing ultrasound reported high-level skills for fetal heart rate examination (70%), whereas few (23%) reported being skilled in examination of the anatomy of the fetal heart. Insufficient ultrasound training leading to suboptimal pregnancy management was reported by 37% of all participants. 'Better quality of ultrasound machines', 'more physicians trained in ultrasound' and 'more training for health professionals currently performing ultrasound' were reported as ways to improve the utilisation of ultrasound.
Conclusions: Obstetric ultrasound is used as an integral part of antenatal care at all selected health facility levels in the region of Hanoi, and access was reported as high. However, reports of insufficient ultrasound training resulting in suboptimal pregnancy management indicate a need for additional training of ultrasound operators to improve utilisation of ultrasound.
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Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6773349 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031761 | DOI Listing |
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