ArticlePloS one2018
Health professionals' experiences and views on obstetric ultrasound in Rwanda: A cross-sectional study.
Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 37 citations in OpenAlex.
- A survey of obstetric ultrasound uses and priorities for artificial intelligence-assisted obstetric ultrasound in low- and middle-income countries.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
- Current status of ultrasound training in obstetrics and gynecology: a scoping literature review.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Article
- Association between adequacy of antenatal care and neonatal outcomes in Rwanda: a cross-sectional study design using the Rwanda demographic and health surveys.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Article
- Determinants of timing, adequacy and quality of antenatal care in Rwanda: a cross-sectional study using demographic and health surveys data.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- A survey of barriers and facilitators to ultrasound use in low- and middle-income countries.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Obstetric ultrasound training programmes for midwives: A scoping review.Health SA = SA Gesondheid · 2023Article
- Acceptability and Feasibility of a Low-Cost Device for Gestational Age Assessment in a Low-Resource Setting: Qualitative Study.JMIR human factors · 2022Article
- Enablers and barriers to introduction of obstetrics ultrasound service at primary care facilities in a resource-limited setting: a qualitative study in four regions of Ethiopia.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2022Article
- Experiences of midwives on Vscan limited obstetric ultrasound use: a qualitative exploratory study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2022Article
- Fetal weight estimation in tall women: is ultrasound more accurate than clinical assessment? A prospective trial.Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2022Article
- Antenatal Doppler ultrasound implementation in a rural sub-Saharan African setting: exploring the perspectives of women and healthcare providers.Reproductive health · 2021Article
- Maternal health care professionals' experiences and views on the use of obstetric ultrasound in Rwanda: A cross-sectional study.BMC health services research · 2021Article
- Implementation science in maternity care: a scoping review.Implementation science : IS · 2021Article
- Health professionals' experiences and views on obstetric ultrasound in Vietnam: a regional, cross-sectional study.BMJ open · 2019Article
- Health professionals' experiences and views on obstetric ultrasound in Tanzania: A cross-sectional study.Women's health (London, England)Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 6 institutions in 5 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesImplementation of ultrasound in antenatal care (ANC) in low-income countries has been shown to increase pregnant women's compliance with ANC visits, and facilitate detection of high-risk pregnancies. In Rwanda, as in other low-income countries, access to ultrasound has increased significantly, but lack of training is often a barrier to its use. The aim of this study was to investigate Rwandan health professionals' experiences and views of obstetric ultrasound in relation to clinical management, resources and skills.
methodsA cross-sectional questionnaire study was undertaken between November 2016 and March 2017, as part of the CROss Country UltraSound Study (CROCUS). Data were collected at 108 health facilities located in both rural and urban areas of Rwanda, including provincial, referral, district and private hospitals as well as health centres. Participants were obstetricians (n = 29), other physicians (n = 222), midwives (n = 269) and nurses (n = 387).
resultsObstetricians/gynecologists/other physicians commonly performed ultrasound examinations but their self-rated skill levels implied insufficient training. Access to ultrasound when needed was reported as common in hospitals, but available to a very limited extent in health centres. The vast majority of participants, independent of health profession, agreed that maternity care would improve if midwives learned to perform basic ultrasound examinations.
conclusionsBarriers to provision of high quality ultrasound services include variable access to ultrasound depending on health facility level and insufficient skills of ultrasound operators. Physicians in general need more training to perform ultrasound examinations. Implementation of a general dating ultrasound examination seems to be a relevant goal as most health professionals agree that pregnant woman would benefit from this service. To further improve maternity care services, the possibility of educating midwives to perform ultrasound examinations should be further explored.
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