First Look: A Cluster-Randomized Trial of Ultrasound Use to Improve Pregnancy Outcomes in Low Income Country Settings

The study was a 2-arm, parallel, cluster-randomized trial in Zambia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, and Guatemala under the Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health Research. The basic obstetric ultrasound (US) training intervention was overseen by the University of Washington’s Department of Radiology. The objective was to conduct a trial to evaluate the impact of basic obstetric US at routine antenatal care (ANC) visits on maternal, fetal and neonatal mortality in LMICs. We evaluated whether US-na�ve providers could be trained to perform US examinations to determine gestational age and identify specific complications. We had 2 primary hypotheses. First hypothesis that in LMIC, routine US at ANC clinics would increase the use of prenatal care and hospital delivery for complicated pregnancies, and second, referrals for complications would reduce a composite outcome