‘Women think pregnancy management means obstetric ultrasound’: Vietnamese obstetricians’ views on the use of ultrasound during pregnancy

Figures & data

Table 1 Key characteristics of the six hospitals located in Northern Vietnam

Hospital	No. of participants	Level of health care	Geographic area	Intensive care available	NICU^a available	Obstetric ultrasound performed by:
1	4	District level	Rural	No	No	Sonographers^b Obstetricians
2	4	City level	Suburban	Yes	Yes	Sonographers^b Obstetricians
3	3	City level	Urban	Yes	Yes	Sonographers^b Obstetricians
4	1	City level	Urban	NA	NA	Sonographers
5	4	National level	Urban	Yes	Yes	Obstetricians
6	1	National level	Urban	Yes	Yes	Obstetricians

^aNeonatal Intensive Care Unit.

^bMedical doctors mainly responsible for obstetric ultrasound examinations.

Table 2 Key domains in the CROCUS interview guide

Key Domains
The obstetricians’ experiences and views of:  • the importance/value of obstetric ultrasound for clinical management of complicated pregnancy,  • the importance of obstetric ultrasound in comparison to other surveillance methods during complicated pregnancy,  • clinical situations where the interests of maternal and fetal health conflict,  • whether the woman may be considered to act as an instrument for fetal treatment,  • if/when the fetus can be regarded as a person,  • situations where the fetus has been regarded as a patient with his/her own interests,  • their professional role in relation to other occupational groups working with obstetric ultrasound examinations or the outcomes of these examinations, and  • other issues in relation to ethical aspects of the use of obstetric ultrasound.

Table 3 Categories and sub-categories of obstetric ultrasound use in Vietnam

Integrating new imaging techniques in a low-income setting	Ultrasound – a central tool in pregnancy management
	Community misconception about ultrasound's role in pregnancy
	Commercialisation of ultrasound
Experiencing changing perceptions and actions due to visualisation of the fetus	The role of ultrasound in defining the fetus as a person Dealing with community preference for male fetuses
Managing situations of maternal and fetal health conflicts	The professional challenge of caring for two ‘patients’
	Facing women's self-sacrifice
	Pregnancy management a family issue