Point-of-Care Ultrasound for High-Risk Pregnancy Screening in Rural Nepal

Rebecca E Ward; Winston B Joe; Saurabh Jha; Mingmar G Sherpa

doi:10.1016/j.jacr.2024.01.013

Point-of-Care Ultrasound for High-Risk Pregnancy Screening in Rural Nepal

J Am Coll Radiol. 2024 Jan 30:S1546-1440(24)00119-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2024.01.013. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Rebecca E Ward¹, Winston B Joe², Saurabh Jha³, Mingmar G Sherpa⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Chief Resident 2023-2024, Diagnostic Radiology Residency Program, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; UPenn Radiology Health Equity Leadership Track; UPenn Center for Global Health Scholar. Electronic address: Rebecca.ward@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
² Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; UPenn Radiology Health Equity Leadership Track.
³ Associate Professor of Radiology, Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Co-Program Director, UPenn Cardiothoracic Imaging Fellowship, UPenn Center for Global Health Scholar. Electronic address: https://twitter.com/RogueRad.
⁴ Ministry of Health, Government of Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal; Chairperson/Founder, Solukhumbu Polytechnical Academy. Electronic address: https://twitter.com/DrMingmaSherpa.

PMID: 38302047
DOI: 10.1016/j.jacr.2024.01.013

Abstract

By training nurses and midwives on the basics of obstetric ultrasound, high-risk pregnancies in remote Nepalese villages can be identified and triaged. American radiology residents traveling to Nepal can improve their real-time, hands-on ultrasound scanning skills while learning the intricacies of practicing medicine in a low- and middle-income country. Global outreach work is increasing in popularity among US radiologists, emphasizing the importance of training radiology residents in point-of-care ultrasound.

Keywords: Health equity; global radiology; point-of-care ultrasound.