ABSTRACT
Diagnostic ultrasound technology has revolutionised clinical medicine by enabling health professionals to diagnose pathology safely and accurately without the use of radiation. However, as the use of diagnostic ultrasound proliferates across healthcare, we must ensure patient-centred care remains our priority. The ever-expanding field of ultrasound includes an extensive range of studies to be performed on patients of all age groups and demographics including foetal, paediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric. Examinations may be invasive and intimate, which require the practitioner to build a high level of trust to ensure the patient feels comfortable and safe to consent to the examination. In the modern ultrasound environment, practitioners must adapt their approach to meet the needs of individual patients, consider ethical requirements, and rapidly develop rapport and respect. Research and patient insights reveal the need for ultrasound practitioners to consider patients’ expectations of the ultrasound experience. These expectations include consideration of patient comfort and dignity, trauma-informed practice, knowledge of lifting techniques to safely assist immobile patients, and avoidance of adverse outcomes. In addition, patients want clear explanations, the opportunity to ask questions and discuss procedures prior to providing consent. Cultural and religious considerations need to be acknowledged, and the examination adapted to meet the patient’s needs. Key behavioural expectations include listening, open and inclusive communication. For ultrasound practitioners, these patient insights provide a deep understanding of patient expectations, identify the key criteria to establishing a partnership with the patients, and a helpful guide to implement a modern patient-centred ultrasound experience. This section considers historical, current and future expectations of ultrasound experiences. It includes patient perspectives to provide a deep understanding of patient expectations and to illustrate the importance of a person-centred approach. Throughout the chapter, examples help ultrasound practitioners recognise how to establish a partnership with their patients, including a framework to implement a modern person-centred ultrasound experience.
