Basic Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2020. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Radiol. Dec 28, 2020; 12(12): 302-315
Published online Dec 28, 2020. doi: 10.4329/wjr.v12.i12.302
Feasibility of using ultrasound in ambulances in Saudi Arabia
Ibrahem Abbas, Bassam Z Shakhreet, Aseel Alghamdi, Basmah Wali, Bashayer Alelyani, Teef Alshehri
Ibrahem Abbas, Bassam Z Shakhreet, Aseel Alghamdi, Basmah Wali, Bashayer Alelyani, Teef Alshehri, Diagnostic Radiology Technology, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Author contributions: Abbas I, and Shakhreet BZ designed and coordinated the study; Alghamdi A, Wali B, Alelyani B, and Alshehri T performed the experiments, acquired and analyzed the data; Abbas I, Alghamdi A, Wali B, Alelyani B, and Alshehri T interpreted the data; Shakhreet BZ wrote the manuscript; all authors approved the final version of the article.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Unit of Biomedical Ethics Research Committee Institutional Review Board (Approval No. 527-17).
Conflict-of-interest statement: Abbas I, and Shakhreet BZ designed and coordinated the study; Alghamdi A, Wali B, Alelyani B, and Alshehri T are employed by King Abdulaziz University. All other authors have nothing to disclose.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Bassam Z Shakhreet, PhD, Associate Professor, Diagnostic Radiology Technology, King Abdulaziz University, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia. bshakhreet@yahoo.com
Received: May 10, 2020
Peer-review started: May 10, 2020
First decision: October 21, 2020
Revised: October 27, 2020
Accepted: November 4, 2020
Article in press: November 4, 2020
Published online: December 28, 2020
Processing time: 231 Days and 14 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Ultrasound is a non-invasive modality, and is an established diagnostic procedure in hospitals, but is not yet widely used in prehospital emergency medicine. Therefore, more studies are needed on fast diagnosis using prehospital ultrasound in emergencies.

Research motivation

The use of ultrasound in ambulances occurs in many countries such as the United States and Europe. It has been proved to be successful for early diagnosis in emergency cases before the patient arrives at the local hospital. This encouraged us to conduct this prospective study in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to determine the economic feasibility and benefit of ultrasound devices in ambulances.

Research objectives

To determine if prehospital ultrasound could contribute to reduced mortality due to early diagnosis.

Research methods

This research is considered an applied study. The selected sample included participants who provided informed consent. Information was obtained from experienced staff from the radiology department, local emergency department and ambulance center. Survey questionnaires were designed to gather reliable data.

Research results

The results from both male and female participants in different age groups indicated that they supported the introduction of ultrasound devices in ambulances. Participation rates were as follows: paramedics 65%, emergency physicians 60%, Saudi Red Crescent managers 73.3%, sonographers 80% and the general public 81%.

Research conclusions

Adequate use of ultrasound in ambulances for critical patients may perform a key role in improving patient outcomes.

Research perspectives

The analyses and conclusions of participant responses in this study were identical to what we expected. Thus, the implementation of ultrasound devices in ambulances in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is feasible.