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DRIVE QUALITY AND STANDARDS
It is important for sonography’s professional standing that we continue to enhance the quality and standards of ultrasound. This involves producing and endorsing guidelines and statements, supporting and commissioning evidence-based research through directly funding clinical research, undertaking studies on the state of the profession, as well as publishing the ASA journal Sonography.
Funding research
The ASA has supported and invested in research that assists in progressing and strengthening the profession through:
Research grants
In 2020, the ASA increased its research grant funding to $30,000 to support sonography research projects. In 2020, the recipients were: • Assema Lalzad (Host organisation: Monash University) –
Bioeffects of Doppler ultrasound on the newborn brain: A pilot study to investigate structural effects in an in vivo rat model • Bernadette Dellar (Host organisation: Absolute
Ultrasound Services) – Is transpubic sonography a reliable assessment of functional voiding in asymptomatic females?
The ASA is financially supporting the University of South Australia (UniSA) in undertaking a research project on ‘What is the impact of COVID-19 on the Australasian sonographic community captured at three time points during the pandemic?’ Survey One data was captured during May 2020 and was presented at the ASA Virtual Conference 2020. Three publications were produced and published in the Sonography journal, covering the changes in scan numbers and sonographer work hours, changes to sonographic examination protocols and access to personal protective equipment, as well as sonographer professional, personal, and social wellbeing.
Sonographer code of conduct
UniSA has been commissioned to review and update the ASA Code of Conduct for Sonographers to ensure it is up to date and aligns with the other codes of conduct sonographers in Australia and New Zealand are required to adhere to.
MSK injections research project
ASA has invested over the last two years in new research that progresses and strengthens the profession by funding research into the ‘Evaluation of sonographer administered ultrasound-guided musculoskeletal injections’ undertaken by UniSA. The research project has finished, with the results to be published in the Sonography journal in 2022.
