Assessing gestational age (GA) is important to healthcare providers and family members to provide effective care during pregnancies. Unfortunately, assessment by ultrasound is not routinely available in resource-constrained settings around the world, particularly in rural and remote locations. The innovative TraCer device combines a handheld wireless ultrasound probe and a tablet with artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled software to obtain GA from videos of the fetal head. From the fetal head, it takes automated measurements of the fetal transcerebellar diameter and head circumference. It is designed for use by frontline healthcare providers, such as nurses at primary health centres.
The aim of this study was to assess the perceptions of pregnant women, their families, and health care providers regarding the feasibility and acceptability of the TraCer device in an appropriate setting.
TraCer was found to be highly acceptable to women, their families, and health care workers, and its implementation at health care facilities considered feasible with adequate staff training. Participants anticipated that it could reduce parental anxiety, increase antenatal care attendance, increase confidence by women in their care providers, as well as save time and cost by reducing unnecessary referrals. TraCer was felt to increase the self-image of health care workers and reduce time spent providing antenatal care. Some participants expressed hesitancy toward new technologies. Effective scale up requires consideration to consistency of the service and appropriate human resources. Misconceptions were common, with a tendency to overestimate the diagnostic capability and expecting a complete assessment of fetal and maternal well-being, not only GA.
Koech A, Musitia PM, Mwashigadi GM, Kinshella MW, Vidler M, Temmerman M, Craik R, von Dadelszen P, Noble JA, Papageorghiou AT, The PRECISE Network
Acceptability and Feasibility of a Low-Cost Device for Gestational Age Assessment in a Low-Resource Setting: Qualitative Study
JMIR Hum Factors 2022;9(4):e34823
doi: 10.2196/34823PMID: 36574278
