Ultrasound Machines In Developing Countries
Many developing countries are lacking the financial resources necessary to obtain medical equipment for imaging. Those that do lack the expertise of professionally trained imaging technicians and many can not afford the cost of skilled labor technicians to perform necessary maintenance on these complex machines. Fairly inexpensive, portable ultrasound machines, being both lightweight and capable of handling a wide range of diagnostic procedures, is at the forefront for meeting the needs of medical imaging technology in developing countries. As these machines become more compact and the quality of their imaging improves, many doctors now keep these portable units on hand. Prior to these devices, hospitals with access to transitional imaging medical equipment were limited by their ability to supply them as well as the equipment’s bulky size. While full-sized imaging units cost millions of dollars, this mobile unit sells for $25,000 to $60,000
Dr. Ronald Adler chief of Ultrasound and Body CT at the Hospital for Special Surgery’s Department of Radiology and Imaging has studied the use of ultrasound machines for preventative and emergency care in hospitals in developing countries such as Ghana, West Africa. Hoping to evaluate the effectiveness of portable ultrasound machines in a wide range of physical conditions, the studies were conducted in several clinical settings. The studied targeted musculoskeletal complaints, women’s health including obstetrical and breast, abdominal and genitourinary conditions.
The results of the study concluded that portable ultrasound machines were a constructive tool for diagnosing and treating disease and trauma in developing countries. The challenge lies in training doctors and health staff to recognize when a referral for this kind of imaging is necessary for patients health. Additional training will be required for medical personnel to be able to operate the machines and perform the scans and for physicians to interpret the results of the scan and inform patients of their treatment options.
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Having worked as a radiologist in Ghana for 3 years in a teaching hospital,doing large numbers of ultrasounds, I would like to comment on the above.
The study by Dr Adler is interesting but the numbers are small, the outcome less than surprising and the limitations of the study are as mentioned. They were experienced operators and herein lies the problem. Good quality ultrasound will make an enormous difference to the quality of care in developing countries, but it requires months of dedicated training. The machines remain prohibitively expensive at the prices quoted (25-60.000 dollars)and suitable training is generally not available. Do not be fooled by commercial websites into buying even a cheap version of a portable machine if you do not have proper training. The results will be nothing like those of Dr Adler and his team. Rolling out ultrasound MUST concentrate on training, not the easy purchase of relatively expensive equipment.
Comment by Liz Joekes — July 24, 2009 @ 12:22 am