Twelve health centers in Lanzarote will have new ultrasound machines, as announced by the Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands.
As explained in a statement, the General Directorate of Healthcare Programs of the Canary Islands Health Service promotes the implementation and development of clinical ultrasound in the Primary Care centers of all the Health Areas of the archipelago with the acquisition of a total of 180 ultrasound machines, which are currently being distributed to health centers throughout the islands.
This is one of the measures contemplated within the Comprehensive Primary and Community Care Strategy, +AP. The SCS has allocated an investment of 5,442,660 euros to this acquisition, financed with Next Generation funds.
With the incorporation of this equipment, family medicine and pediatrics professionals can use ultrasound as another exploration tool in their clinical practice and, in this way, more adequately guide their diagnoses, which positively impacts the quality of care provided to the population.
By Health Areas, these 180 ultrasound machines are distributed as follows: 65 for Tenerife, 64 for Gran Canaria, 16 for La Palma, 12 for Lanzarote, 10 for La Gomera, nine for Fuerteventura, and four for El Hierro.
The implementation of this equipment is accompanied by a theoretical-practical training process for the professionals who will handle them so that they know their advantages and possibilities.
Benefits of clinical ultrasound in Primary Care
Clinical ultrasound is an essential tool in the field of Primary Care. In clinical practice, the use of ultrasound has become part of the physical examination performed on the patient, improving its performance, as it allows observing and accurately measuring multiple organs that are difficult to assess with other methods.
In addition, it serves to guide the suspected diagnosis and guide decision-making more effectively. This reduces the number of additional complementary tests, as well as referrals to the Specialized Care setting. In cases where this referral is necessary, the indications are more precise and of higher quality, which accelerates the diagnostic and therapeutic process.
In the field of Emergencies, ultrasound makes it possible to detect pathologies that may represent severity in less time, which reduces sequelae and even mortality in some cases.
The incorporation of this equipment to the health centers of Primary Care of all the islands allows explorations in diverse anatomical territories and diverse clinical situations.
