Ultrasound in rural areas: how telerobotics is improving access to healthcare

Due to a shortage of radiologists and the long distances involved in travelling to an imaging centre, access to ultrasound scans in rural areas remains limited. Indeed, a scan lasting around 20 minutes can involve a whole day’s travel, incurring significant costs for patients and their families. These constraints lead to delays in diagnosis and, in some cases, patients foregoing treatment. Against this backdrop of regional inequality, tele-robotic ultrasound offers a solution to bring the expertise of major hospital facilities closer to patients living far from urban centres. In this article, we analyse the impact of tele-ultrasound in rural areas based on a study conducted in France (Georgescu et al., 2015) and two studies carried out in Canada (Adams et al., 2022; Amal Khan et al., 2025).

Why is access to ultrasound scans difficult in rural areas?

Access to ultrasound scans in rural areas is difficult due to a number of structural barriers. Firstly, the shortage of radiologists – coupled with the difficulty in recruiting and retaining professionals in sparsely populated areas – makes it challenging to have a full-time specialist on hand, leading to medical deserts.

In small towns, demand does not always justify a dedicated facility, hence the reliance on occasional locum services or the need for patients to travel. Some rural communities have to travel hundreds of kilometres to access an ultrasound scan, resulting in lost working time, transport costs and complicated family arrangements.

Finally, vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women, the elderly or patients in precarious circumstances, are particularly disadvantaged by these long-distance journeys.

These obstacles are such that, for some, postponing or cancelling the recommended examination is seen as a better option. This leads to delays in treatment and a potential worsening of the prognosis.

Telemedicine ultrasound: a new model for accessing healthcare?

The use of telemedicine in ultrasound scanning enables a specialist to perform the examination using a tele-robotic device. A robotic arm is installed in a facility with a shortage of radiologists and sonographers. At the expert centre, the specialist controls the probe remotely. An interface gives them access to all the ultrasound scanner’s settings, and the images are transmitted in real time with sufficient quality to enable diagnostic examinations.

At the rural site, an assistant stands beside the patient. They ensure the robot is correctly positioned. Fine movements, rotation, tilting and the adjustment of technical parameters, however, are entirely under the control of the remote specialist. A videoconferencing system completes the setup, enabling the patient to communicate with the radiologist.

In France, a team from Tours demonstrated that a robotic arm could be used routinely for a year between Tours University Hospital and two remote facilities located 50 km away, with 300 examinations carried out (abdominal, vascular, thyroid, lower limb veins, etc.) (Georgescu et al., 2015).​

In Canada, several tele-robotic ultrasound clinics have been set up more than 500 km from the university centre (Adams et al., 2022).

What are the benefits of remote ultrasound in rural areas?

Studies conducted in France and Canada provide important data on the impact of robotic tele-ultrasound.

Improving access to healthcare in rural areas through remote ultrasound

In Tours, 300 examinations were carried out over the course of a year in two rural centres, at a rate of 1.5 examinations per day in the general practice and one examination per week in the care home (Georgescu et al., 2015).

In rural Canadian communities, 70% of telerobotic examinations were deemed sufficient to make a diagnosis, avoiding travel or additional delays for patients (Adams et al., 2022).

The mixed-methods study conducted in Saskatchewan shows that patients appreciate being able to undergo the examination in their own community, as this reduces travel, cuts costs and allows them to maintain their family routines (Amal Khan et al., 2025).

Reducing waiting times for conventional ultrasound scans

In the Tours trial, urgent scans were scheduled within 30 minutes, whilst others were booked within 24 to 36 hours. In Saskatchewan, many patients report getting an appointment more quickly and receiving their results within a few days. For a conventional ultrasound scan, a waiting time of one month would have been required.

Ensuring high quality to provide a reliable diagnosis

The French study concludes that tele-ultrasound provides information similar to that of conventional ultrasound. The authors report no false positives or false negatives when the images were deemed of sufficient quality to allow a diagnosis. inconclusive cases were referred for a conventional ultrasound scan.

In rural Canada, abdominal and renal scans, first-trimester scans and certain targeted obstetric examinations proved particularly well-suited to tele-ultrasound.

What are the key factors for the success of a remote ultrasound project in rural areas?

In rural areas, for tele-ultrasound to deliver on its promises, several factors must be taken into account, such as:

• the availability of a reliable digital infrastructure for video and robot control, and a stable quality of service to minimise latency;
• the training for on-site assistants on how to position the robot, manage probe-to-skin contact and assist the remote specialist;
• the selection of indications, prioritising abdominal scans, first-trimester obstetrics, or certain vascular and renal examinations;
• the coordination between sites to ensure effective communication between the administrative office, local medical consultants and radiologists.

Ultimately, expanding the scope of examinations and integrating multidisciplinary care pathways could further enhance the value of tele-operated ultrasound in underserved areas (Amal Khan et al., 2025).

Why is robotic ultrasound in rural areas an asset for healthcare professionals?

Robotic tele-ultrasound offers a range of organisational and economic benefits, such as:

• optimisation of clinical time, as a radiologist can cover several rural sites from a single centre;
• relief of pressure on hospital imaging departments, with some initial examinations carried out remotely, freeing up slots for more complex examinations;
• reduction in medical transport costs;
• regional equity, as remote ultrasound helps to reduce health disparities between urban and rural populations, one of the major challenges facing health authorities.

The success of a remote robotic ultrasound project depends on a few essential conditions. A reliable and secure network infrastructure, the commitment of hospital management, and the training of on-site assistants form the organisational foundation.

AdEchoTech plays a central role in this context. We provide a solution designed for these purposes by supporting teams and helping regions to establish an accessible ultrasound service. The aim is to bring ultrasound expertise within sustainable reach of patients living in rural areas.