# Smartphone ultrasonography to improve diagnosis and treatment of life-threatening injuries for trauma patients in Cameroon

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2024 · $160,298

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Diagnostic imaging is a standard part of trauma assessment, but access to imaging is often extremely limited
in low and middle-income countries, where most injury deaths occur. Trauma death rates in Cameroon are
higher than surrounding countries. Failure to diagnose hemorrhagic shock has been implicated in death
analysis of the Cameroon Trauma Registry and by the National Trauma Quality Improvement Committee as a
key root cause of preventable deaths. Currently, fewer than half of trauma patients in Cameroon receive
diagnostic imaging. Development of a provider-performed smartphone-based ultrasonography (SBU) program
for trauma could increase diagnostic access and facilitate timely diagnosis and treatment of injuries but only if it
is feasible and effective for the Cameroonian context. The long-term goal of this research is to reduce the
burden associated with injury in Cameroon. This study’s overall objective is to expand diagnostic capacity to
facilitate timely diagnosis of injury and reduce injury burden. The study hypothesis is that implementation of a
provider-performed SBU program is a feasible and effective method of expanding access to diagnostic imaging
for trauma patients in Cameroon. To accomplish the objective, this study will pursue three specific aims for the
R21 phase: 1) Evaluate the educational efficacy of a SBU training curriculum in short- and medium-term skill
and knowledge acquisition among Cameroonian trauma providers; 2) Evaluate the feasibility of a provider-
performed SBU pilot in Cameroon; 3) Assess the acceptability of an SBU pilot among Cameroonian trauma
stakeholders. If the R21 transition milestones are met, the R33 phase will pursue three specific aims: 1)
Assess diagnostic accuracy of provider-performed SBU on trauma patients; 2) Evaluate the effectiveness of a
provider-performed SBU program in expanding diagnostic capacity for trauma; 3) Test associations between
SBU program implementation and trauma outcomes. Validating SBU as a feasible and effective method to
expand diagnostic capacity will remove a major roadblock to prompt trauma care and provide a critical target
for reducing the detrimental impact of injury on this population. Embedded in the study approach is the training
of clinicians in health systems research and strengthening of mHEALTH capacity in Cameroon which will
support development and research across health sectors. A standardized SBU training and implementation
protocol could be rapidly scaled-up for wider implementation throughout Cameroon and validated in other
LMIC contexts.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10912029
- **Project number:** 5R21TW012609-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** Alain Mefire Chichom
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $160,298
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-08-17 → 2025-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10912029

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10912029, Smartphone ultrasonography to improve diagnosis and treatment of life-threatening injuries for trauma patients in Cameroon (5R21TW012609-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10912029. Licensed CC0.

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