Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37004376›Full record

ArticleRadiography (London, England : 1995)2023

"It has been the most difficult time in my career": A qualitative exploration of UK obstetric sonographers' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

E Skelton, A Smith, G Harrison, M Rutherford, S Ayers, C Malamateniou

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Radiography (London, England : 1995), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
2.5field-weighted citation impact, top 10% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

E SkeltonDivision of Radiography and Midwifery, School of Health and Psychological Sciences, University of London, EC1V 0HB, UK. Electronic address: emily.skelton@city.ac.uk.
A SmithGuy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, SE1 7EH, UK.
G HarrisonSociety and College of Radiographers, London, SE1 2EW, UK.
M RutherfordPerinatal Imaging and Health, King's College London, SE1 7EH, UK.
S AyersCentre for Maternal and Child Health Research, School of Health and Psychological Sciences, University of London, EC1V 0HB, UK.
C MalamateniouDivision of Radiography and Midwifery, School of Health and Psychological Sciences, University of London, EC1V 0HB, UK; Haute Ecole de Santé Vaud, Lausanne, Switzerland.
University of London · GBGuy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust · GBKing's College London · GBRoyal College of Radiologists · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionSubstantial changes were made to the provision of pregnancy ultrasound services during the COVID-19 pandemic with the intention of minimising virus transmission and maintaining service continuity. Published literature describing the impact of the pandemic on obstetric sonographers is predominantly quantitative in nature, however statistics cannot fully convey sonographers' voices. This study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of UK obstetric sonographers performing pregnancy ultrasound scans during the pandemic.

methodsA UK-wide, online, anonymous cross-sectional survey on Qualtrics XM™ was open to responses between 9th March and 6th May 2021. Whilst this survey contained some quantitative elements, open questions were included to capture additional qualitative detail from respondents about their perceptions and experiences of scanning during the pandemic. Key themes were generated from free text responses using thematic analysis.

resultsWritten responses were received from 111/138 sonographers participating in the survey. Five themes were generated, depicting the impact of the pandemic on obstetric sonographers: 1) continuity in a crisis; 2) decisions about me, without me; 3) battle scars - the lasting damage of COVID-19; 4) what people think I do vs. what I really do; and 5) the human touch. A cross-cutting theme was sonographers' feelings of disconnection from senior figures and expectant parents which created a sense of abandonment and distrust.

conclusionSurvey respondents' self-reported experiences of ineffective leadership and management, and perceived lack of understanding of the complexity of the sonographer role are potential contributory factors in the high levels of moral injury and occupational burnout reported within the workforce during the pandemic.

Indexed as

COVID-19Cross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansPandemicsPregnancyUltrasonographyUnited KingdomCOVID-19Moral injuryObstetricsPregnancySonographerUltrasound

Identifiers

PMID37004376
PMCPMC10027955
OpenAlexW4328108567

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.