Compact ultrasound donations to medical facilities in low-resource countries: a survey-based assessment of the current status and trends

Many ultrasound (US) specialists, independently or as part of institutionally directed teams, have donated compact US equipment and training to rural and urban clinics in low-resource regions. The objective of our study was to assess the scope, impact, and characteristics of these donation and training activities. We designed a 1-page, 10-question survey soliciting responses on donors, equipment, donation sites, training, and follow-up. Physicians and sonographers with qualifying donation experience were located by means of personal references, professional networking, and referral from US manufacturers. Respondents were also solicited at several online sites for medical imagers. The survey was active from May 2010 to March 2011 and was available via an interactive website (www.surveymonkey.com) or as an electronic download directly from the authors. Fifteen respondents provided data on deployments spanning a 7-year period from 2004 to early 2011. Forty-eight compact US units were donated to sites in 15 different nations on 4 continents; 69% of the units went to sites in Africa. All but 4 sites received initial training. Donated systems were reported as "operational and functional" for all units for which the current status was available. Results suggest involvement by a broad variety of participants. The number of successful deployments and excellent equipment durability support the premise that small-scale, individual donation and training activities have the potential for a substantial public health impact. The authors recommend better coordination of effort and the need for additional data.