Clinical Practice ​and Appropriate Use Standards/Guidelines

• ECRI Guidelines Trust ^® (worldwide repository of clinical practice guidelines - free registration required)
• American College of Radiology (ACR): Practice Parameters and Technical Standards
• American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM): Practice Guidelines
• American Society of Echocardiography (ASE): Guidelines and Standards
• Australasian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine (ASUM)​
• Australasian Sonographer Association (ASA): Guidelines
• British Ultrasound Society (BUS): Policies and Guidelines
• British Society of Echocardiography (BSE): Guidelines and Recommendations
• European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS) 2022 Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management of Chronic Venous Disease of the Lower Limbs
• Sonography Canada: Professional Practice Guidelines
• Society for Vascular Ultrasound (SVU): Professional Performance Guidelines

Disinfection and Sterilization Guidelines

• SDMS Sonographer Best Practices for Infection Prevention and Control: Reprocessing the Ultrasound Transducer
• Educational Worksheet (requires Excel or equivalent)
• CDC Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities
• AIUM Guidelines for Cleaning and Preparing External- and Internal-Use Ultrasound Probes Between Patients

Note: Be sure to check with your ​transducer's manufacturer for their specific disinfection and sterilization procedures.

Clinical Laboratory/Facility Accreditation

While clinical laboratory/facility accreditation is generally considered voluntary, more and more Medicare carriers and third-party insurers are requiring sonographer certification or laboratory/facility accreditation.

Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC)

• Vascular Testing including:
  • Extracranial Cerebrovascular
  • Intracranial Cerebrovascular
  • Visceral Vascular
  • Peripheral Arterial
  • Peripheral Venous Screening
• Echocardiography including:
  • Adult Transthoracic
  • Adult Transesophageal
  • Adult Stress
  • Pediatric Transthoracic
  • Fetal
• Vein Centers ​including:
• Sclerotherapy
• Ambulatory phlebectomy/powered phlebectomy
• Saphenous vein ablation
• Non-operative management of chronic venous insufficiency with ulceration (CEAP Clinical classification C6)

American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM)

• Ultrasound including:
  • Abdominal/General
  • Breast
  • Female Pelvic Floor (Urogynecology)
  • Fetal Echocardiography
  • Gynecologic (with or without 3D)
  • Musculoskeletal (Diagnostic)
  • Musculoskeletal (Ultrasound-Guided Interventional Procedures)
  • Standard Obstetric (all trimesters or trimester-specific)
  • Standard Obstetric with an Adjunct in Detailed Fetal Anatomic Ultrasound Examinations
  • Limited OB for Advanced Clinical Providers
  • Thyroid, Parathyroid, and Neck
  • Ultrasound-Guided Regional Anesthesia
  • Urologic
  • Point-of-Care Ultrasound (coming soon)

American College of Radiology (ACR)

• Breast Ultrasound
• Ultrasound including:
  • OB antepartum
  • Gynecological
  • General
  • Vascular
  • Pediatrics​

Educational Standards

Programmatic Accreditation

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)

• Joint Review Committee on Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JRC-DMS)

• Joint Review Committee on Cardiovascular Technology (JRC-CVT)

• Committee on Accreditation of Advanced Cardiovascular Sonography (CoA-ACS)

Sonography Educational Curriculum

• National Education Curriculum (NEC) for Sonography