To evaluate the effect of the special training for prenatal ultrasound screening in Xizang Autonomous Region from 2016 to 2023, and to analyze the personnel structure, professional status, and training outcomes of trainees, with an aim of providing data-driven support for the optimization of subsequent special training programs in prenatal ultrasound screening.

From July 2016 to December 2023, based on the training outline of the China Birth Defects Foundation and the guidelines of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology, standardized prenatal ultrasound screening training was carried out. It was conducted for more than 2000 trainees from 120 hospitals across 7 regions of Xizang Autonomous Region, utilizing methods such as theoretical lectures, practical teaching, and case discussions. A questionnaire survey (on-site and digital) was carried out among 1475 trainees to summarize and analyze their personnel structure, professional status, and training effect.

During the eight-year training period, a "standardized prenatal ultrasound training system" was established for the Xizang Autonomous Region, and a team of physicians proficient in prenatal ultrasound screening and diagnosis was formed. Basic information of 1475 trainees and their affiliated hospitals was obtained. A total of 241 ultrasound physicians were certified in prenatal ultrasound diagnosis by the China Birth Defects Foundation and national training bases, while over 1000 physicians passed the online training and received prenatal ultrasound screening training certificates from the Xizang Ultrasound Medical Association. The majority of the trainees were aged between 20 and 29 (40.4%), and the majority had a bachelor's degree (57.4%). The proportion of those with junior or intermediate professional titles reached 72.1%, and their specialties were mainly imaging and clinical medicine. The proportion of trainees from secondary hospitals was the highest (46.3%), while those from tertiary hospitals accounted for 41.1%. More than half of the staff in 63.3% of the hospitals had received professional training. After the training, the proportion of fetal malformation detection in Xizang Autonomous Region to the total number of deliveries increased from 0.48% in 2015 to an annual average of 1.99% during the 8 years from 2016 to 2023. Each pregnant woman could receive 1-2 prenatal systematic ultrasound examinations during pregnancy.

The 8-year training survey data show that the hierarchical structure of both the participating hospitals and trainees is reasonable, laying a good foundation for the healthy and sustainable development of prenatal ultrasound services in the plateau.