This report contains the collective views of on international group of experts and does not necessarily represent the decisions or the stated policy offe World Health Organization TRAINING IN DIAGNOSTIC ULTRASOUND: ESSENTIALS, PRINCIPLES AND STANDARDS Report of a WHO Study Group Geneva 1998 WHO L~braryCataloguing In Publ~catlonData Training in diagnostic ultrasound : essentials, principles and standards : report of a WHO study group (WHO technical report series ; 875) 1 .Ultrasonography 2.Diagnostic imag~ng- standards 3.Guidelines 4.Health per- sonnel - education I Title II.Series (NLM Classification: WN 200) The World Health Organization welcomes requests for permission to reproduce or translate its publications, in part or in full Applications and enquiries should be addressed to the Office of Publications, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, which will be glad to prov~dethe latest information on any changes made to the text, plans for new editions, and reprlnts and translations already available. 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Typeset in Hong Kong Printed in Spain 9711 1650 - Best-set1Fotojae- 7500 Contents 1. lntroduction 1.1 Background to the Study Group's report 1.2 Structure of the report 2. The world situation with respect to ultrasonography 2.1 Assessment of current practice 2.1 .l Performance and interpretation 2.1.2 Delivery of services 2.1.3 Equipment and techniques 2.1.4 Recognized indications for ultrasonography 2.2 Trends in ultrasonography 2.3 Current ultrasonography training 2.4 Variations in training and practice 2.5 Sonographers 2.6 Trends in ultrasonography training 3. Ultrasonography curricula for medical students and physicians 3.1 Curriculum for medical students 3.2 Curriculum for general (level I) ultrasonography for physicians 3.2.1 General features of the curriculum 3.2.2 Specific content 3.2.3 Duration of training and required number of studies 3.2.4 Evaluation 3.2.5 Continuing medical education 3.3 Curriculum for advanced (level II and Ill) ultrasonography for physi cians 3.3.1 Purpose 3.3.2 Prerequisites 3.3.3 Areas covered 3.3.4 Content and duration 3.3.5 Practical training 3.3.6 Evaluation 3.3.7 Continuing medical education 3.3.8 Ultrasound in various specialties 4. Ultrasonography training for sonographers and other allied health professionals 4.1 Introduction 4.2 A definition of a sonographer 4.3 Limitation of practice 4.4 Curriculum for general (level I) ultrasonography for sonographers and other allied health professionals 4.4.1 Purpose 4.4.2 Prerequisites 4.4.3 General and specialized training 4.4.4 Curriculum 4.4.5 Duration of training and required number of studies 4.4.6 Clinical and ancillary information 4.4.7 Principles of scanning 4.4.8 Requirements for teachers of sonographers 4.4.9 Evaluation 4.4.10 Continuing medical education 4.4.11 Specialized training 5. Basic sciences and instrumentation curricula 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Prerequisites 5.2.1 Mathematics 5.2.2 Physics 5.2.3 Biology 5.3 Basic sciences and instrumentation curriculum for general ultrasonography 5.3.1 Basic sciences 5.3.2 Equipment 5.3.3 Quality assurance 5.3.4 Equipment management 5.3.5 Artefacts 5.4 Basic sciences and instrumentation curriculum for advanced ultrasonography 5.4.1 Basic sciences 5.4.2 Equipment 5.4.3 Quality assurance 5.4.4 Artefacts 5.5 Course duratio; 5.6 Evaluation 6. Training centres and resources 6.1 Needs and priorities 6.2 Teacher training 6.3 Materials and techniques 6.4 Evaluation 6.5 Teacher-training programmes 6.6 Licensing and accreditation 6.7 Continuing education 6.8 Training centres 6.8.1 Regional (international) centres 6.8.2 National centres 6.9 Equipment 6.9.1 Ultrasound equipment 6.9.2 Training equipment 6.10 Access to patients 6.11 Space and equipment requirements 7. Conclusions and recommendations Acknowledgements References Selected further reading Annex Applications of diagnostic ultrasound WHO Study Group on Training in Diagnostic Ultrasound: Essentials, Principles and Standards Philadelphia, USA, 22-26 March 1996 Members Professor S. Bhargava, All lndia Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, lndia Professor C. Bruguera, Diagnostic lmaging Teaching Institute, Buenos Aires, Argentina Dr G.G. Cerri, University of S2o Paulo, S%o Paulo, Brazil Professor S.H. Eik-Nes, National Centre for Fetal Medicine, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway Professor M.R. El-Meligy, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt Professor H.A. Gharbi, Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia Professor B.B. Goldberg, The Jefferson Ultrasound Research and Education Insti- tute, Thomas Jefferson University Medical College and Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, USA (Chairman) Professor H.T. Lutz, Department of Medicine, No.1 Medical Clinic, Bayreuth, Ger- many Professor C.R.B. Merritt, Department of Radiology, Ochsner Clinic, New Orleans, LA, USA (Rapporteur) Dr D.E. Robinson, Ultrasonic Laboratory, Division of Radiophysics, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia Mrs D. Szabunio, Ultrasound Department, Women's College Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Dr M.W. Wachira, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya (Vice-Chairman) Professor H. Watanabe, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan Professor P.N.T. Wells, Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering and University Department of Hospital Medicine, Bristol General Hospital, Bristol, England Dr Xu Zhi-Zhang, Zhong Shan Hospital, Shanghai Medical University, Shanghai, China Representatives of other organizations lnternational Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering Dr P.A. Lewin, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Biomedical Engineering and Science Institute, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA lnternational Society and Federation of Cardiology Professor A.E. Belinsky, Buenos Aires, Argentina lnternational Society of Radiographers and Radiological Technologists MS C. Babiak, Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada lnternational Society of Radiology Dr P. Arger, Radiology Department, University Hospital of Pennsylvania, Philadel- phia, PA, USA Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (USA) Dr M. Berman, Roslyn Heights, NY, USA World Federation of Sonographers Dr R. Curry, Program Director, 1997 World Federation of Sonographers Meeting, Sickerville, NJ, USA MS K. Griffiths, President, World Federation of Sonographers, Dundas, Australia World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology Professor A.E. Belinsky, Buenos Aires, Argentina Secretariat Dr S. Hancke, Head, Ultrasonic Laboratory, Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark (Temporary Adviser) Professor Emeritus P.E.S. Palmer, University of California, Davis, California, CA, USA ( Temporary Adviser) Dr V. Volodin, Medical Officer, Radiation Medicine, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland (Secretary) Dr A. Wasunna, Director, Programme on Health Technology, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland Professor M.C. Ziskin, Center for Biomedical Physics, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA (Temporary Adviser) I. Introduction A WHO Study Group on Training in Diagnostic Ultrasound: Essen- tials, Principles and Standards met in Philadelphia, PA, USA, from 22 to 26 March 1996 to consider methods of improving the training and clinical performance of physicians and allied health professionals' who use ultrasound for diagnostic applications. The meeting was opened by Dr A. Wasunna, Director, Programme on Health Technol- ogy, WHO, Geneva, on behalf of the Director-General. Diagnostic ultrasound is a rapidly developing imaging technology which is widely used in both industrialized and developing countries. Since its introduction in the 1960s, ultrasound has found widespread application in anatomical imaging, blood-flow measurement, and evaluation of physiology in almost all aspects of medicine (l).As ultrasound instruments have become smaller, less expensive, and easier to use, diagnostic ultrasound has become increasingly popular among a wide variety of physicians. Ultrasound imaging technique has replaced or complemented a large number of radiographic and nuclear medicine procedures and has opened new areas of diagnostic investigation (see Annex). For example, in many cardiovascular dis- eases diagnostic ultrasound has replaced invasive methods as the primary means of evaluation. In obstetrics, where radiography is no longer generally used, diagnostic ultrasound has provided an impor- tant means of assessing fetal viability and age, evaluating fetal devel- opment, and diagnosing fetal, uterine, and placental