Routine use of Ultrasound in Antenatal Care - A Survey to Assess the Knowledge and Perception of Pregnant Women at the Atua Government Hospital

Abstract

Introduction Ultrasound has useful application in the management of pregnancy. Among other uses, it is routinely used antenatal clinics in Ghana to determine gestation, sex of child, fetal and placental positions and fetal viability. To facilitate information and counseling, there is the need to know the perception of patients about the technology. Very little is known about this in Ghana. Materials and Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted through administration of a questionnaire to antenatal attendants at the Atua Government Hospital in the Eastern Region of Ghana. All the women interviewed had undergone ultrasound scan at least one in the current or past pregnancies. Convenience sampling method was used to recruit 306 participants. Descriptive analysis were performed. Further analyses explored socio-demographic determinants of the belief that ultrasound was harmful to the growing fetus. The data were analyzed using descriptive and bivariate analyses Results A total of 306 women with a mean age of 25.9 (+ 6.3) years were interviewed. The most commonly-mentioned use of the antenatal ultrasound was to assess gestational age (31.4.3%), estimate date of delivery (33.3%) and determine sex of fetuses (17.3%). Over half of pregnant women indicated that ultrasound could cause cancer. About 10% of women thought ultrasound could be harmful to the child; women under 25 years (OR=2.52, CI= 1.13-5.60, P-value < 0.02) were 2.52 times likely to indicate this than older women. Most respondents (89.5%) perceived antenatal ultrasound to be a useful tool and were willing to do it again if the need arose. Conclusions Despite appreciating its useful, a high proportion of pregnant women had apprehensions and misconceptions about the effect ultrasound scan. Pregnant women undergoing ultrasound scan should be educated about the technology and the safety measures in place to avoid harm to them and their babies. Younger women may be particularly apprehensive and should be targeted for counseling.