For a long time, doctors have been relying on a stethoscope and their experience to determine the medical condition of a patient. This traditional way of diagnosis was error-prone since the doctor was unable to see the target area and make the right judgment. Advancement in technology has led to the development of ultrasound technology, which enables the doctor to see internal body parts. Old models of ultrasound equipment are massive and expensive. Many hospitals in remote areas, especially in developing countries lack this machine and doctors still rely on traditional methods of diagnosis.
Nowadays, there are several models of portable Ultrasounds which are cheaper, consume less power, are compact, and highly portable. In fact, a doctor can carry the equipment to patients’ houses and carry out the diagnosis. These machines have reduced the long patient queues that were common in hospitals with traditional ultrasound rooms. A portable ultrasound produces the image instantly and the doctor can explain to the patient what is on the display and if there are any abnormalities.
Some of the advantages include
1) Cost saving
The cost of buying a Portable Ultrasound machine is lower as compared to traditional ultrasound equipment. This has made many hospitals, even those located in remote areas to buy this equipment. For this reason, patients don’t have to travel to nearby towns or cities to get ultrasound services in a bigger medical facility. Portable ultrasound also uses less power and it has low costs of maintenance. This reduces patients’ medical bills and encourages more people to undergo early diagnosis if they have a problem.
2) Convenient
Some Portable Ultrasounds can be connected to a tablet, smartphone or laptop using a USB cable. Latest models use various wireless connectivity such as Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi to connect to other devices. These models are convenient since you can see the image on the screen of your gadget and even save it in the drive or cloud storage for future use.
3) Improved private practices
Private doctors offer door to door services and they can’t carry the large traditional ultrasound machines. The technology is also cumbersome to use since a technician is required to operate it. For these reasons, most private clinics and private doctors are unable to buy traditional ultrasound machines. However, they can get sonosite ultrasound machines, which offer high-quality imagery and they are highly portable. With this equipment, Private Doctors can visit pregnant women and perform a fetal scan at their houses. Private clinics with limited storage space don’t need to allocate a whole room for ultrasound services since the gadget occupies less space.
4) Facilitates patient involvement
Portable ultrasound allows the medical practitioner to actively involve the patient in the diagnosis. The doctor can show the patient the image generated by the equipment and explain the illness better. This minimizes the chances of the patient denying or refusing to accept the condition especially if it is a disease that many people fear. When a patient visualize what is happening in their body, they get satisfied and follow the doctor’s prescription carefully thus leading to better outcomes.
Portable ultrasounds have been used to save lives of people in remote areas. This equipment is portable and easier to use, thus making it more functional and effective than an ultrasound room. Portable ultrasounds can be used in hospitals to provide a fast ultrasound diagnosis and help doctors to diagnose patients without moving them from their ward to an ultrasound room. The equipment allows medics to actively engage their patients and relay information visually, thus leading to patient satisfaction and better medical services.
