Background

Personal-device-based point-of-care-ultrasound (P-POCUS) probes plug directly into a cell phone or tablet to function as its display, creating the potential to increase access to obstetric ultrasonography in complex healthcare settings (COVID units, low resource settings); however, new technology must be proven to be reliable in the obstetric setting before integrating into practice.

Objective

To evaluate the intraclass correlation (reliability) of personal-device-based-point-of-care-ultrasound devices as compared with standard ultrasound machines in obstetrics.

Study Design

This was a prospective, observational study of patients between 19–39 weeks gestation in an urban, prenatal ultrasound diagnosis center. Each patient underwent assessment by an expert sonographer using standard ultrasound machines and personal-device-based-point-of-care-ultrasound devices to determine estimated fetal weight. The statistical reliability and agreement between the estimated fetal weights was assessed through intraclass correlation coefficients, Bland-Altman plots, and Pearson correlation coefficients.

Results

100 paired sets of scans were performed from October 2020 to December 2020. For the estimated fetal weights, there was near-perfect agreement, with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.99 (P<.0001). Bland-Altman analysis showed an average difference of 53 grams, with 95% limit of agreement between −178 grams and 283 grams. Pearson correlation showed near-perfect correlation between the measurements (r=0.99, P<.0001).

Conclusion

personal-device-based point-of-care-ultrasound devices are reliable tools for performing basic obstetrical ultrasound and have the potential to increase access to obstetrical ultrasound worldwide.

中文翻译：

---

将基于个人设备的床旁超声纳入产科护理：一项验证研究

背景

基于个人设备的床旁超声 (P-POCUS) 探头直接插入手机或平板电脑以用作其显示器，从而创造了在复杂医疗保健环境中增加获得产科超声检查的潜力（COVID 单位、低资源设置）；然而，新技术在融入实践之前必须证明在产科环境中是可靠的。

客观的

与产科中的标准超声设备相比，评估基于个人设备的床旁超声设备的类内相关性（可靠性）。

学习规划

这是一项在城市产前超声诊断中心对妊娠 19-39 周的患者进行的前瞻性观察性研究。每位患者均由专业超声医师使用标准超声机和基于个人设备的即时护理超声设备进行评估，以确定估计的胎儿体重。通过组内相关系数、Bland-Altman 图和 Pearson 相关系数评估估计的胎儿体重之间的统计可靠性和一致性。

结果

从 2020 年 10 月到 2020 年 12 月，进行了 100 组配对扫描。对于估计的胎儿体重，几乎完全一致，组内相关系数为 0.99（P <.0001）。Bland-Altman 分析显示平均差异为 53 克，在 -178 克和 283 克之间有 95% 的一致性限制。Pearson 相关性显示测量值之间的相关性接近完美（r = 0.99，P <.0001）。

结论

基于个人设备的床旁超声设备是执行基本产科超声的可靠工具，并有可能在全球范围内增加获得产科超声的机会。