The sonographer’s dilemma

Abstract

Modern obstetric practice includes ultrasound scans as part of the antenatal care programme offered to the pregnant woman. When this facility was introduced into the obstetric care plan it was soon realized that there were insufficient numbers of medical staff to undertake the volume of work required to satisfy the demand. This role was extended to non-medical staff and soon this group were providing the majority of the obstetric ultrasound service (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 1984). It was during these formative years that a number of constraints were placed upon the non-medical practitioners, particularly relating to the communication by the radiographer of the result of the scan to the pregnant woman if a problem was identified. Today the culture of the relationship between patients and professionals has altered and pregnant women have access to a wide range of information related to their pregnancies. This information can be explicit when dealing with ultrasound scans. As the technology improves and the knowledge base expands expectations about this aspect of care can be extremely high. However, differences in working practice of the various professionals now involved in obstetric ultrasound may affect direct communication of the scan result when abnormality is suspected. These constraints, together with other factors which affect communication between sonographer and patient are covered in this chapter.