Obstetric ultrasound screening service utilization among pregnant women in public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Barriers and Enablers, 2022: a cross-sectional study

Introduction: All pregnant women should receive an obstetric ultrasound scan before 24 weeks gestation, according to the World Health Organization. However, this can be influenced by a number of barriers, particularly in developing countries. This study aimed to assess reasons for utilization of obstetric ultrasound screening services and barriers to its access among pregnant women in public hospitals of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done on 404 pregnant women from June 21 to September 20, 2022, in public hospitals in Addis Ababa. Simple and systematic random sampling was used to select the study area and eligible individuals, respectively. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regressions were used to identify factors associated with the dependent variables. An odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval with a p-value less than 0.05% was considered statistically significant.

Finding: In this study, 70.3% of pregnant women utilized prenatal ultrasound. The study participants reported different reasons for utilizing ultrasound services: pregnancy complications; to assess the health status of the baby; to determine the age of the pregnancy and fetal position, and fetal sex determination were the main reasons. The main barriers to utilizing ultrasound were identified as waiting time, financial cost, being attended by students, distance to the service, and lack of privacy.

Conclusion: In the current study, the number of pregnant women utilizing obstetric ultrasound was lower than the World Health Organization recommendation, and diverse barriers influenced utilization of this service.  By reducing the cost and patients' waiting time, and increasing awareness of the value of the service, utilization of ultrasound can be improved.