Barriers to Sonographer Screening for Fetal Heart Defects: A U.S. National Survey

Objective:†We surveyed obstetric sonographers to determine how barriers to prenatal cardiac screening impacted screening abilities.†Methods:†We performed a cross-sectional national survey of obstetric sonographers in the United States using a sampling frame from American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonography mailing lists. The web survey measured the ability to obtain and interpret fetal heart images. Several cognitive, sociodemographic, and system-level factors were measured, including intention to perform cardiac imaging. Regression and mediation analyses determined factors associated with intention to perform and ability to obtain and interpret cardiac images. Subgroup analyses of sonographers in tertiary versus nontertiary centers were also performed.†Conclusions:†We identified several modifiable (some heretofore unrecognized) targets to improve prenatal cardiac screening. Priorities identified by sonographers that are associated with screening success should guide future interventions.