Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Aug;30(3):209-217.
doi: 10.1177/1742271X211038296. Epub 2021 Sep 13.

A mixed method study into obstetric sonographer-led-discharge and other forms of sonographer role extension

L S Kettlewell  1 , S P Richards  1   2
Affiliations

A mixed method study into obstetric sonographer-led-discharge and other forms of sonographer role extension

L S Kettlewell et al. Ultrasound. 2022 Aug.

Abstract

Introduction: Sonographer-led-discharge was proposed in a maternity unit to provide a holistic service, cut waiting times, ease staffing pressures and increase job satisfaction. This study explored sonographers' experiences and perspectives of this new extended role and other areas of non-obstetric role extension. Understanding these will inform future practice and the success of the proposed obstetric sonographer-led-discharge and career structure.

Methods: A mixed methodology, cross-sectional study was performed, with a purposive, non-probability sample using an online data collection tool. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis.

Results: In total, 93 sonographers participated in the study. Of these, 25% of sonographers currently practising obstetric ultrasound said they would not undertake the proposed obstetric sonographer-led-discharge role extension although 90% of the participants said role extension provides job satisfaction. Several themes emerged from the data, including job satisfaction, benefits to the hospital, improved patient pathway, time, personal factors, litigation and intra- and interprofessional resistance. A total of 54% of staff currently performing a role extension have experienced either inter- or intraprofessional conflict and only 48.5% said their workload was manageable.

Conclusions: The data collected suggested that, with training and support, the proposed obstetric sonographer-led-discharge role is an appropriate role extension for sonographers. These findings support the premise of the proposed sonographic career structure, although the inter- and intraprofessional resistance identified in the study could form a significant barrier if it is not appropriately considered and managed.

Keywords: Advanced practice; career progression framework; role development; sonographic career structure.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Participant location.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Participant age.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Level of qualification.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Years from award of ultrasound qualification.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Area of specialty.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Area of role extension as stated by the participants.
Figure 7.
Figure 7.
Litigation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Gardosi J, Madurasinghe V, Williams, et al.. Maternal and fetal risk factors for stillbirth: population based study. BMJ 2013; 346: f108. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Blencowe H, Cousens S, and Jassir FB. National regional and worldwide estimates of stillbirth rates in 2015, with trends from 2000: a systematic analysis. Lancet Global Health 2016; 4: e98–e108. - PubMed
    1. NHS England. Saving babies’ lives: a care bundle for reducing stillbirth, www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/saving-babies-lives-car-bu... (2016, accessed 24 February 2021).
    1. NHS England. Saving babies’ lives care bundle version 2, www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/saving-babies-lives-care-b... (2019, accessed 24 February 2021).
    1. Office for National Statistics. Births in England and Wales, 2017. London: Office for National Statistics, 2018.