Accreditation for ultrasound in the world

To assess accreditation for ultrasound (US) throughout the world, a questionnaire was sent to 34 doctors in 34 countries; 23 of them responded. Clinical specialties are approved by law in the large majority of countries, except for a few countries like the USA or Japan. The position of "Sonologist", who is a specialist for US, has not been established in any of the countries with the exception of China. In some countries, some kinds of technicians are permitted to be involved in US after training and the recipients of such accreditation are usually called "Sonographers." Accreditation systems for US in various countries were classified into three grades, namely, "Should," "Would" and "Might," according to differences in regulations, education and certification. In 19 out of 23 countries, grading fell into the "Might" grade, in which accreditation is thought to be no more than a matter of morals. It is concluded that a respective accreditation system suitable to the country would be constructed independently.