The initial impact of COVID‐19 on Australasian sonographers part 2: Changes to sonographic examination protocols and access to personal protective equipment

Introduction COVID‐19 brought with it the requirement for healthcare workers to limit community transmission of the virus as much as possible by limiting patient contact and wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). This study aimed to capture the initial adaptations to sonographic examination pr...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sonography 2021-09, Vol.8 (3), p.100-108
Main Authors: Childs, Jessie, Maranna, Sandhya, Osborne, Brooke, Lamb, Kathryn, Esterman, Adrian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Australasian
COVID‐19
impact
Original
personal protective equipment
protocol changes
sonographers
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Introduction COVID‐19 brought with it the requirement for healthcare workers to limit community transmission of the virus as much as possible by limiting patient contact and wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). This study aimed to capture the initial adaptations to sonographic examination protocols within ultrasound departments and sonographer access to PPE. Methods An online survey was used to gather data on sonographer reflections of sonographic examination protocol changes seen in their departments and access to PPE between the 11th of March 2020 and the 14th of June 2020. Results To reduce the time sonographers spent with the patients and hence reduce the risk of exposure to COVID‐19, sonographers reported adjustments to sonographic examination protocols including their duration and scheduling. Access to PPE was reported as poor. Conclusion Numerous sonographic examination protocol changes were observed within ultrasound departments in Australasia in the initial response to COVID‐19. Access to PPE was varied along with sonographer feelings around the impact of these changes.
ISSN:2202-8323
2054-6750
DOI:10.1002/sono.12275