The Technical Assistant Model: Efficiency in Maternal Fetal Medicine

Abstract

Objective: To analyze how technical assistants benefit diagnostic medical sonography settings by improving efficiency and patient care. Materials & Methods: Credentialed obstetric sonographers who currently work in maternal fetal medicine were surveyed. Closed-ended and open-ended questions were used to examine effectiveness, usefulness, and overall satisfaction with the technical assistant position. In addition, quantitative methods were used to compare the time efficiency of technical assistants with medical assistants in obstetric settings. Results: The majority of sonographers and providers view technical assistants in a positive manner and indicated that the existence of the technical assistant role improved clinic flow. When compared with studies regarding medical assistant efficiency, this study showed shorter wait times for patients. Conclusion: The data supports that the presence of a technical assistant in clinic increases the overall efficiency of the clinic, which could allow providers to see more patients and reduce wait times for critical appointments. This could also lead to a more cost-effective system, especially when compared to alternative options such as hiring more providers or sonographers. These findings should encourage obstetric and gynecological sonography clinics to implement trained technical assistants to address clinic inefficiency, sonographer burnout, and sonographer and practitioner satisfaction.

Burnout in the sonographic environment: The identification and exploration of the causes of sonographer burnout and strategies for prevention and control

“…The causes of burnout in Table 1 were numbered based on how often they were identified in literature. Workload related causes of sonographer burnout included the requirement to perform a high number of scans and tasks [including patient preparation, patient communication and writing‐up findings]; short appointment blocks per scan; long hours and overtime; and the training of student sonographers 5,10,15,20–23 . High workloads exacerbated the burnout pertaining to the delivery and coping of adverse news, as well as contributed to burnout outside the context of adverse news 5,10,15,20–23 .…”

“…Recommendations for practice include reducing scan numbers per week and increasing appointment times, however this will have financial implications due to the reduce intake of patients 30 . Other recommendations suggested the use of technical assistants, adverse news delivery and counselling skills training, and the implementation of protocols and policies to clearly define the role of sonographers around adverse news delivery 20–22 . Future research is needed to assess if any of these strategies would be successful in reducing burnout across the sonography profession.…”

“…In addition, more time spent informing the patient about the ultrasound procedure prior to the scan, and managing patient interactions post‐adverse news delivery will further remove the apprehension around the process, particularly at obstetrics clinics 15,20,22,25 . Another challenge associated with burnout is the emotional cost to the sonographer when adverse patient outcomes are experienced 11,15,20–23 …”

“…Exposure to adverse news was one of the most common causes of burnout identified in the literature (Table 1). 11,15,[20][21][22][23] According to Hardicre et al the detection of adverse findings during examinations triggered difficult emotional and physical reactions in sonographers. 15 Finding an abnormality during obstetric scans often caused anxiety, and deciding on whether or how to deliver adverse news to patients caused personal turmoil.…”

“…Adverse/bad news Other I. High number of scans/tasks, 5,10,15,[20][21][22][23] II. Small appointment blocks per scan 10,15,20,23 III.…”