| Utility of portable ultrasound in a community in Ghana. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 19022999 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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OBJECTIVE: In many developing countries, access to medical imaging is limited by availability of resources. Portable ultrasound shows great promise to meet the needs in these countries because it is transportable and relatively inexpensive, and it has a wide range of applications. As part of the Ghana Health Mission, Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana, we explored the utility of ultrasound in primary care and hospital settings during March 2004. Our objective was to evaluate the clinical utility of a portable ultrasound machine in a variety of physical conditions and multiple clinical scenarios. METHODS: Ultrasound examinations were performed at 2 primary care sites and 2 hospitals using a portable ultrasound machine with linear and curved linear phased array transducers. Most ultrasound examinations were musculoskeletal, with the remainder being obstetric, pelvic, breast, vascular, abdominal, and genitourinary examinations. RESULTS: In clinic settings, musculoskeletal ultrasound represented 46% (16) of the ultrasound examinations performed, and 29% (10) of the cases were a combination of abdominal, pelvic, and genitourinary examinations. In hospital settings, abdominal, pelvic, and genitourinary ultrasound examinations combined were 56% (18), and musculoskeletal was 41% (13). Of the 67 ultrasound examinations performed, 81% (54) showed abnormal findings, 81% (54) were considered to add to the clinical diagnosis, and 40% (27) influenced medical care for the patients. CONCLUSIONS: This experience shows the usefulness of portable ultrasound examinations performed by a skilled radiologist in a clinical setting in Ghana; the challenge is to address how to best incorporate ultrasound into the current practice of medical professionals in developing countries. |
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Authors:
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Jacqueline K Spencer; Ronald S Adler |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Journal of ultrasound in medicine : official journal of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine Volume: 27 ISSN: 1550-9613 ISO Abbreviation: J Ultrasound Med Publication Date: 2008 Dec |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2008-11-21 Completed Date: 2009-02-02 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 8211547 Medline TA: J Ultrasound Med Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 1735-43 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Primary and Ambulatory Care, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Community Health Services
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methods*,
utilization* Ghana / epidemiology Humans Medical Missions, Official* Miniaturization Ultrasonography / instrumentation*, utilization* |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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