Utility of ultrasound training for obstetricians or midwives: a systematicreview

Abstract

Introduction: The training of midwives in the field of ultrasound has been the subject of interest in many countries around the world, since this would contribute to the improvement of care for pregnant women, especially in rural areas or areas with difficult access for health teams.

Objective: To synthesize recent evidence related to the benefits offered by training obstetricians in the field of ultrasound through a systematic review of the scientific literature using the PICO strategy in electronic databases.

Method: It was carried out a study selection process in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The search was carried out by two members of the team during the period December 2023 to January 2024, in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Articles up to 5 years old were included, of a qualitative and quantitative nature, with results that indicate the usefulness of ultrasound training and whose study population is midwives.

Results: It was obtained a total of 907 studies, of which 24 met the inclusion criteria, and were mostly carried out on the African continent. The studies showed improvements in the ultrasound skills of midwives, reaching a level similar to that of specialist doctors, in addition, the existence of institutional benefits such as improvement in perinatal health outcomes, reduction in hospital stay time or increase in requests. ultrasound by pregnant women; and individual benefits such as an increase in midwives’ confidence, motivation and even performance.

Conclusions: The studies conclude that the knowledge of midwives acquired through ultrasound training is similar to that acquired by doctors or other professionals, which represents a benefit for pregnant women who are in rural areas with low economic resources, and makes visible the need for these trainings to be carried out in countries that present economic and social gaps.