TITLE:
Study on the Impact of Obstetric Ultrasound Training Applied to Sonus in the Pété Health District, Saint-Louis Region, from 2021 to 2025
AUTHORS:
Ousmane Thiam, Mamadou Ndiaye, Awa Ndiaye, Khadidiatou Diallo
KEYWORDS:
Obstetric Ultrasound, SONU, Midwives, Training, Pété, Maternal Health, Senegal
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.15 No.12,
December
31,
2025
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Maternal mortality remains a major public health issue in Senegal, particularly in rural areas where access to specialised obstetric services remains limited. Obstetric ultrasound, as a tool for early diagnosis, is an essential lever for improving the quality of prenatal care and monitoring high-risk pregnancies. It is in this context that the Faculty of Health Sciences at Gaston Berger University (UFR2S), in partnership with the Regional Hospital of Saint-Louis (HRSL), has initiated a training programme in obstetric ultrasound applied to Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (EmONC) for midwives in the Pété health district. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of this training on the quality of obstetric care and the clinical performance of providers. Methodology: This is a descriptive, analytical, cross-sectional study conducted in September 2025 among all 18 midwives trained between 2021 and 2025. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analysed using Epi Info 7 software. Results: show a significant increase in the average number of monthly ultrasounds, from 12 before to 33 after training (+175%). The proportion of complications detected early rose from an average of 1% to 5.6%, representing a gain of 4.6 points. The relevance of obstetric referrals also increased from 62% to 87%, while 92.9% of midwives reported being satisfied or very satisfied with the programme. Conclusion: Training in obstetric ultrasound applied to SONUs has led to a lasting improvement in skills, better detection of complications and a rationalisation of evacuations. This decentralised, partnership-based model represents a good practice that can be replicated in other districts of Senegal and contributes to the achievement of national targets for reducing maternal and neonatal mortality.