Institutionalization of limited obstetric ultrasound leading to increased antenatal, skilled delivery, and postnatal service utilization in three regions of Ethiopia: A pre-post study

A minimum of one ultrasound scan is recommended for all pregnant women before the 24th week of gestation. In Ethiopia, there is a shortage of skilled manpower to provide these services. Currently, trained mid-level providers are providing the services at the primary healthcare level. The aims of this study were to compare antenatal care 1 (ANC1), antenatal care 4 (ANC4), skilled birth attendance (SBA), and postnatal care (PNC) service utilization before and after institutionalizing Vscan limited obstetric ultrasounds at semi-urban health centers in Ethiopia. A pre and post intervention observational study was conducted to investigate maternal and neonatal health service utilization rates before and after institutionalizing Vscan limited obstetric ultrasound services, between July 2016 and June 2020. The data were extracted from 1st August- 31st December 2020. The observed monthly increase on the mean rank of first ANC visits after the introduction of Vscan limited obstetric ultrasound services showed a statistically significant difference at KW-ANOVA H (3) = 17.09, P = 0.001. The mean rank of fourth ANC utilization showed a statistically significant difference at KW- ANOVA H (3) = 16.24, P = 0.001. The observed mean rank in skilled birth attendance (SBA) showed a statistically significant positive difference using KW-ANOVA H (3) = 23.6, P