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ISUOG Consensus Statement on organization of routine and specialist obstetric ultrasound services in context of COVID‐19
Author(s) -
AbuRustum R. S.,
Akolekar R.,
Sotiriadis A.,
Salomon L. J.,
Da Silva Costa F.,
Wu Q.,
Frusca T.,
Bilardo C. M.,
Prefumo F.,
Poon L. C.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.202
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1469-0705
pISSN - 0960-7692
DOI - 10.1002/uog.22029
Subject(s) - medicine , context (archaeology) , personal protective equipment , medical emergency , guideline , pandemic , medline , family medicine , intensive care medicine , covid-19 , disease , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , political science , paleontology , law , biology
This statement is intended for doctors and staff working in routine, high-risk and specialist obstetric ultrasound services offering care to pregnant women. Ultrasound investigation is an essential part of care in these areas. Routine and specialist obstetric ultrasound scans are an important part of prenatal care that need to be maintained despite the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic with all its associated comorbidities1. This document is not a guideline for clinical management but a consensus statement from international experts, which provides proposals and options for managing patient workflows and clinical pathways in the context of COVID-19, that can be adapted to different countries and individual units based on their resources and infrastructure. Appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE), hygiene, and disinfection of ultrasound transducers, equipment and the ultrasound room have been addressed in separate documents2,3. Women and their unborn babies should be provided with clinically safe and evidence-based care, and specifically the use of ultrasound diagnostics based on existing guidelines. During the COVID-19 pandemic, every attempt should be made to minimize patient visits to safeguard patients and staff, particularly when staff shortage due to self-isolation policies is impacting workflow in the ultrasound unit.