Code of Ethics for the Profession of Diagnostic Medical Sonography

Effective 09/24/2024

Preamble

This Code of Ethics aims to promote excellence in patient care by fostering responsibility and accountability among diagnostic medical sonographers, thereby maintaining and elevating the integrity of the profession. It serves as a guide and framework for addressing ethical issues in clinical settings, business practices, education, and research.

Objectives

Foster and encourage an environment where ethical issues are discussed, evaluated, and addressed.
Help the individual diagnostic medical sonographer identify ethical issues.
Provide ethical behavior guidelines for individual diagnostic medical sonographers and their employers.

Principles

Principle I: To promote patient well-being, diagnostic medical sonographers shall:

A.	Provide information to the patient about role, credentials, and expertise.
B.	Provide information to the patient about the purpose of the sonography examination, procedure, or associated task within the scope of practice.
C.	Respond to the patient's questions, concerns, and expectations about the sonography examination, procedure, or associated task according to the scope of practice.
D.	Ensure patient safety when the patient is in the sonographer’s care.
E.	Respect the patient's autonomy and the right to refuse the examination, procedure, or associated task.
F.	Recognize the patient's individuality and provide care in a non-judgmental, non-discriminatory, and equitable manner.
G.	Promote the patient’s privacy, dignity, and well-being to ensure the highest level of patient care.
H.	Maintain confidentiality of acquired patient information per national patient privacy regulations and facility protocols and policies.

Principle II: To promote the highest level of competent practice, diagnostic medical sonographers shall:

A.	Obtain appropriate diagnostic medical sonography education and clinical skills to ensure competence.
B.	Achieve and maintain specialty-specific sonography certifications/credentials. Sonography certifications/credentials must be awarded by a national sonography certifications/credentialing body that is accredited by a national organization that accredits certifications/credentialing bodies (i.e., Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE)/National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) or the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB)).
C.	Uphold professional standards by adhering to defined technical protocols and diagnostic criteria established by peer review and institutional research.
D.	Maintain continued competence through lifelong learning, which includes ongoing education and acquisition of specialty-specific credentials.
E.	Perform medically indicated sonography examinations, procedures, and associated tasks ordered by a licensed physician or their designated healthcare professional per the supervising physician, facility policies and protocols, or other requirements of the jurisdiction where performed.
F.	Protect patients and study subjects by adhering to oversight and approval of investigational procedures, including documented informed consent.
G.	Maintain professional accountability and standards by committing to self-regulation through adherence to professional conduct, self-assessment, and peer review, ensuring the highest patient care and safety standards.
H.	Acknowledge personal and legal limits, practice within the defined scope of practice, and assume responsibility for actions.
I.	Be accountable and participate in regular assessments of sonography protocols, equipment, examinations, procedures, and results. Note: This may be accomplished through facility accreditation.

Principle III: To promote professional integrity and public trust, diagnostic medical sonographers shall:

A.	Be truthful and promote appropriate communications with patients, colleagues, healthcare professionals, and students.
B.	Respect the rights of patients, colleagues, students, and yourself.
C.	Avoid conflicts of interest and situations that exploit others or misrepresent information.
D.	Accurately represent experience, education, and credentialing.
E.	Promote equitable access to care for the patient.
F.	Communicate and collaborate with fellow sonographers and healthcare professionals to create an environment that promotes communication, respect, and ethical practice.
G.	Understand and adhere to ethical billing and coding practices, if applicable.
H.	Conduct all activities and agreements legally and transparently in compliance with federal and state laws and rules/regulations, as well as facility policies and protocols.
I.	Report deviations from the Code of Ethics per facility policies and protocols, and if necessary, to the appropriate credentialing organization for compliance evaluation and possible disciplinary action.

Membership

Learning

Resources

Advocacy

SDMS Foundation

Store

About the SDMS

Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography

Code of Ethics for the Profession of Diagnostic Medical Sonography