Ultrasounds used to be big, clunky machines that could not be wheeled in or out of a patient’s room. A person who needed to get an ultrasound done had to be brought to the ultrasound room, much like an x-ray. Today, ultrasounds have become smaller can actually be packed up and carried to the rural areas of the community, a very important technological achievement today. But exactly what is the impact of technologically advanced sonograms? How does it affect patient outcomes and management, in and out of the hospital?
The truth about rural areas
It is a generally-accepted concept that rural and remote areas that are home to lower and middle-tier families have less access to health care and health resources. People who live in the city where a diagnostic laboratory or a hospital is around every corner take these resources for granted. People who do not have that kind of access would rarely see the inside of an emergency room or clinic, let alone an ultrasound machine. Take a quiz for future sonographers to see just how much you know about sonography and the career.
The development of portable sonograms
Ergonomic design has been an important factor in technologically advancing an ultrasound machine. This is true for bigger and smaller sonograms. Designing a portable sonogram has been one of the greatest achievements in medical equipment in this century. While there are still more improvements that need to be done on portable ultrasounds, laptop-based machines are becoming very popular because the transducer merely needs to be inserted in the computer’s USB slot.
A step up from these laptop-based machines is the development of tablet-based sonograms. Transducers that can be attached to tablets are a new innovation in the city of New York, with a special app on the tablet that allows EMTs to get very rudimentary ultrasound images. Though the accuracy of these tablet-based sonograms needs to be improved, they are quite effective in emergency situations, such as testing for internal bleeding. New York EMTs just need to participate in interactive training programs to be able to use this kind of equipment.
A step up from these laptop-based machines is the development of tablet-based sonograms. Transducers that can be attached to tablets are a new innovation in the city of New York, with a special app on the tablet that allows EMTs to get very rudimentary ultrasound images. Though the accuracy of these tablet-based sonograms needs to be improved, they are quite effective in emergency situations, such as testing for internal bleeding. New York EMTs just need to participate in interactive training programs to be able to use this kind of equipment.
The impact of ultrasound use in rural areas
A study was done in a rural district hospital in Rwanda that monitored the effects ultrasound use on subsequent patient management. There were 345 ultrasound performed over a specific period of time, categorized into 102 obstetric, 94 abdominal, 49 cardiac, 40 renal, and 36 pulmonary procedures. In just under half of these cases (43 percent), the result of an ultrasound was able to shift the focus of management to lifesaving actions such as surgery (or canceling one), changing of medication, and clinic referrals.
In another country, Liberia, the use of an ultrasound in a rural hospital was able to change the direction of management of about 62 percent of total cases. A lower, but still significant, percentage was similarly seen in a rural area in the Amazon jungle. This shows that making sonography an accessible procedure greatly improves patient outcomes, with diagnostic certainty reached in between 68 and 72 percent of cases. These numbers are quite significant, especially in rural areas where access to his kind of technology is slim to none. The year 2014 brings about a lot of possibilities and opportunities for sonography in the modern era.
In another country, Liberia, the use of an ultrasound in a rural hospital was able to change the direction of management of about 62 percent of total cases. A lower, but still significant, percentage was similarly seen in a rural area in the Amazon jungle. This shows that making sonography an accessible procedure greatly improves patient outcomes, with diagnostic certainty reached in between 68 and 72 percent of cases. These numbers are quite significant, especially in rural areas where access to his kind of technology is slim to none. The year 2014 brings about a lot of possibilities and opportunities for sonography in the modern era.