Clinical guidance
A vital part of the ASA’s dedication to promoting best practice in medical sonography involves producing and providing clinical guidance and standards. ASA is finalising two new guidelines and invites member feedback on: Draft Guideline - Consent for Medical Ultrasound Scans and Draft Guideline - Consent and Chaperones for Intimate Medical Ultrasound Scans. Your feedback will ensure guidelines reflect diverse perspectives and practical considerations, please reply by 1 May 2024 to researchandstandards@sonographers.org
View our current guidelines, clinical statements and endorsed resources below:
- Dec 2023 | Ultrasound assessment of the gravid cervix for risk of preterm birth
- Feb 2021 | Intimate examinations, consent and chaperones
- Nov 2020 | ASA and ASUM joint Guidelines for Reducing Injuries to all Ultrasound Users
- May 2020 | Vasa praevia diagnosis in the mid trimester ultrasound
- Nov 2015 | A sonographer's guide to clinical supervision
- May 2022 | Disinfection of intracaavity ultrasound transducers
- May 2022 | Early Pregnancy Loss
- May 2021 | Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines for Sonographers
- Feb 2021 | Safe use and storage of ultrasound gel
- Feb 2021 | Veins of the lower limb
The following documents have been reviewed and are endorsed by the ASA:
- Oct 2023 | International evidence-based guideline for the assessment and management of polycystic ovarian syndrome. Designed to provide clear information regarding PCOS to assist clinical decision-making and support optimal patient care
- Nov 2022 | Stillbirth Clinical Care Standard The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
- Nov 2022 | Prenatal Screening for Chromosomal Conditions including Down Syndrome - Practice Resource Down Syndrome Queensland - Queensland Government
- Mar 2021 | Recommendations for the Adult Cardiac Sonographer Performing Echocardiography to Screen for Critical Congenital Heart Disease in the Newborn: From the American Society of Echocardiography
Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography - Jul 2020 | Recommendations for the Assessment of Carotid Arterial Plaque by Ultrasound for the Characterization of Atherosclerosis and Evaluation of Cardiovascular Risk: From the American Society of Echocardiography
Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography, Article in Press - May 2020 | Recommendations on the use of multimodiality cardiovascular imaging in young adult competitive athletes
Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography - Apr 2020 | Recommendations for Echocardiography Laboratories Participating in Cardiac Point of Care Cardiac Ultrasound (POCUS) and Critical Care Echocardiography Training: Report from the American Society of Echocardiography
Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography - Mar 2020 | Australian Commission of Safety and Quality in Health Care advisory statement AS18/07: Reprocessing of reusable medical devices in health service organisations
- Mar 2020 | Recommendations for Multimodality Assessment of Congenital Coronary Anomalies: A Guide from the American Society of Echocardiography, Developed in Collaboration with the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, Japanese Society of Echocardiography, and Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance
Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography - Jan 2020 | Australian guideline for prevention, diagnosis and management of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease 3rd edition.
Rheumatic Heart Disease Australia - Jan 2020 | Guildelines for Performance, Interpretation, and Application of Stress Echocardiography in Ischemic Heart Disease
Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography - Dec 2019 | New Zealand Obstetric Ultrasound Guildelines 2019.
New Zealand Government Ministry of Health - Jun 2019 | Care Around Stillbirth and Neonatal Death – Section 3 Respectful and Supportive Perinatal Bereavement Care.
Third Edition from the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (PSANZ) and the NHMRC Stillbirth Centre of Research Excellence - Jan 2019 | Guidelines for Performing a Comprehensive Transthoracic Echocardiographic Examination in Adults: Recommendations from the American Society of Echocardiography.
ournal of the American Society of Echocardiography. - Feb 2017 | Guidelines for Reprocessing Ultrasound Transducers.
This guideline was jointly produced by the Australasian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine and the Australasian College for Infection Prevention Control, published in the February 2017 issue of the Australasian Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine. - 2017 | Industry standards for the prevention of work related musculoskeletal disorders in sonography.
Developed through a 2016 consensus conference hosted by the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography. - Nov 2016 | Diagnosis and management of ectopic pregnancy.
Joint guideline from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Association of Early Pregnancy Units.
Australian Government guidelines:
- Sept 2020 | Informed consent - fact sheet for clinicians
