I recent media coverage Nine newspaper Expected parents highlight the rise in non -medical ultrasound providers offering “assurance ultrasound”.
According to reports, this service has caused serious damage, similar to misinterpreted actopic pregnancy and fetal abnormalities.
So why do some women select extra ultrasound? And how will you tell when you should trust the person providing your ultrasound?
What are the reassurance scans?
Scans of assurance are a sort of non -medical selection or “entertainment” Ultrasound Some women find their usual first and second tractor scans.
Assurance scans about your child's development as a way of “giving you peace of mind”, or when you aren’t for a usual scan, “everything is developing” to guarantee you.
They are also referred to as souvenir, boutique or ultrasound, as this business is normally sold Memono Packages. They often contain so -called 4D images: rendering with the fourth dimension of time to display the movement.
Some business Presentation Gender identification information, sometimes “gender -related” party accessories in addition to audio recording of fetal heartbeat.
Why do women get them?
Light Interview Studies It is found that ultrasound images outside the same old scan are so famous.
Many expectations Parents want As soon as possible, learn fetal sex, assure, see their future baby's facial expression and get capricic images.
Others find usual scans too fast and strange, as a business provider as a More formal and complementary rituals.
Jordi Mora/Shutter stock
Health economists have emphasized this The positive effects of health Of non -medical ultrasound, which may Help mothers expect And Father Bond together with your child.
Some rights within the twentieth century Criticized The nature of pregnancy For A decrease in value “Living experience”. But recent rights are feminine accounts Again frame non -medical scan As a way of getting health look after women because it goes beyond that Clinical utility.
Instead of minor the “entertainment” value of those services, some people argue that ethnic experts Could learn By service, thus improving patients' satisfaction during ethnic imaging.
What are the hazards of those services?
In recent years, with an in depth scan providing technology has turn out to be more portable, with handheld, Ultrasound devices according to smartphone Now available.
As well as Make the routine of sharing ultrasound images On social media, possibly more business businesses offer these services.
Still the service is taken into account Full of unorganized psychological and social threat. Providers are generally not trained to seek the advice of moms or families Should be from the fetus of the fetus Doubt
Professional organizations have condemned these businesses to mislead consumers Incorrect assurance. Since these scans aren’t checked by a physician, these operators cannot give reliable assurance.
World Federation for ultrasound in medicine and biology And The same body Defective Swyneer Ultrasounds On a protective basis. So does Australian Sonographer AssociationWhich represents about 70 70 % of the Songgrams.
There are not any solid restrictions on ultrasound devices
The Australian treatment administration regulates the provision of medical devices. It registers them, Classification according to their risk And sometimes using them connects the situation.
However, Some portable ultrasound scanners There are not any specific conditions approved as low -risk devices. Consumers do theoretically laid Buy themIncluding through Personal Import Scheme.
Last 12 months, TGA registered multiple Handheld devices The fetus is used to detect heartbeat while pregnant without monitoring the health practitioner.
After this decision, after the market review, it was discovered that the expected parents were Incorrectly assured Using self -means of devices or in home setting by non -trained people.
However, no such review has been taken for portable ultrasound devices.
When removing devices from such a register can limit access to users, it's not one “The memory of the product“And the continual sale of other -handed devices is not going to have the ability to stop.

Physics/Shutter stock
Who can perform an ultrasound?
While some specialist health practitioners may perform ultrasound (similar to a gynecologist Related certificates), Most diagnostic imaging experts are Sonographers.
To perform Medical Ultrasound Medicare who’s eligible for discounts have to be Singer. Trained And Recognized.
But there is no such thing as a sunglasses Registration Board To obtain complaints concerning the Sonorgers or to take disciplinary motion against them. This is ready up along with registered health practitioners similar to doctors, nurses and pharmacists.
Australian Sonographer Association Have been discussed Swingers must be recurrently made by A Registration Board.
This could make the Sonigarfers more clearly identified by the title reservations, ensuring that poor performing Songgers are disciplined and allowed everlasting national standards.
However, it can not refrain from providing non -medical ultrasound to unregistered people.
So how will you tell in case your provider is a Sugographer?
A transparent indication that the provider is offering non -diagnostic ultrasound is that there is no such thing as a medical subsidy.
Australian providers are doing without imaging Sanction Users should pay attention to their nonRecognized Prestige And confirm that no medical advantage is payable.
Don't need to do that The amount of a crime.
How are you able to report a dodi provider?
You can complain Based on the state Health complaints bodies. For example, Healthcare Complaints in New South Wales, the Commission, can investigate complaints about Sonigarfers as unregistered health practitioners and consider relevant. Code of Conduct.
When the Sonographer is found to be improper or pose a risk of health or safety, these complaints may issue orders. Sonographer's Prohibition By providing any health services for a selected period.
The law of Australian consumers is one other way that authorities can break into dishonest providers. In 2015, an individual was prosecuted against an individual In Western Australia After selling the identical photos to 6 women receiving non -medical ultrasound in homes.
His crimes include making false or misleading claims and accepting money for services provided.
If non -medical imaging providers make misleading claims, including clinical assurance levels can provide a non -diagnostic scan, you’ll be able to report them Australian User and Competitive Commission.
Leave a Reply