Availability and use of antenatal point-of-care ultrasound services within rural South Australian health care

Delivery of obstetric ultrasound has become a routine component of antenatal care (ANC) in the developed world; however, there is a lack of trained sonographers located in rural and remote communities of Australia who provide obstetric ultrasound. Point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) is a feasible and practical option to overcome the challenges of providing obstetric ultrasound in rural and remote communities. PoCUS is a focused, limited ultra-sound examination to answer specific questions that are conducted by the same health care practitioner who will be using the information to direct immediate patient care management. PoCUS is increasingly used by other medical specialties, including doctors and nurse practitioners, to provide antenatal ultrasound in rural practice. PoCUS implementation during routine delivery of ANC has been analysed in under-resourced and remote settings and has proven to be a feasible solution to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes and increase maternal engagement with pregnancy care. PoCUS is cost-effective, easily implemented in existing clinics and can be used accurately with limited training.