Table 5.
Respondent opinions on ultrasound use in low- and middle-income countries.
| N (%) | |
|---|---|
| Reason(s) for ultrasound access being viewed as a barrier* (N = 53) | |
| Ultrasound machine unavailable | 28 (52.8) |
| Ultrasound probe unavailable | 27 (50.9) |
| Competition for use by different departments | 20 (37.7) |
| Competition for use in the same department | 14 (26.4) |
| Other reason | 7 (13.2) |
| Location of ultrasound expert if access to support from an ultrasound expert for ongoing mentoring/training is viewed as a facilitator (N = 60) | |
| Local | 50 (83.3) |
| Remote | 10 (16.7) |
| Importance of having ultrasound access (N = 162) | |
| Very important | 114 (70.4) |
| Important | 16 (9.9) |
| Neither important nor unimportant | 1 (0.6) |
| Unimportant | 0 (0.0) |
| Very unimportant | 31 (19.1) |
| Ultrasound improves quality of care (N = 163) | |
| Strongly agree | 134 (82.2) |
| Agree | 23 (14.1) |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 0 (0.0) |
| Disagree | 0 (0.0) |
| Strongly disagree | 6 (3.7) |
| Ultrasound improves patient outcomes (N = 163) | |
| Strongly agree | 105 (64.4) |
| Agree | 51 (31.3) |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 4 (2.5) |
| Disagree | 0 (0.0) |
| Strongly disagree | 3 (1.8) |
| Fear(s)/reservation(s) associated with ultrasound use (N = 163) | |
| Yes | 30 (18.4) |
| No | 133 (81.6) |
| Types of fear(s)/reservation(s) associated with ultrasound use* (N = 28) | |
| Misdiagnosis | 20 (71.4) |
| Malpractice | 5 (17.9) |
| Leadership/administration not supporting use | 5 (17.9) |
| Peers not supporting use | 4 (14.3) |
| Patients not understanding technology | 3 (10.7) |
| Other fear/reservation | 5 (17.9) |
*Total percentage for individual question may be over 100% due to “Check all that apply” option for that question on the survey. The value for N provided for “Check all that apply” questions represents the number of respondents.