Excellence of Care:
Standards of Care for Providing Sonograms
and Other Medical Services in a Pregnancy Medical Clinic

Clinical practice guidelines are common within the medical field, with over 1,500 issued in the past decade. Within the medical arm of the pregnancy center movement, there has been an increasing awareness of the need to provide guidance and standards to those performing sonographic examinations at their Pregnancy Medical Clinics (defined throughout this document as Clinic). The Physicians Resource Council of Focus on the Family has assisted in drafting, reviewing, and approving these evolving standards. The authors agree that if a Clinic follows these guidelines, they will be giving care within the medical scope of practice for pregnancy Clinics doing sonographic exams and providing other medical services.

Download the guidelines in PDF format.

All Pregnancy Medical Clinics in the Option Ultrasound Program provide limited obstetrical ultrasound as medically indicated. Clinics are licensed to operate under the supervision of a physician, using only trained sonographers. Focus on the Family does not endorse the use of ultrasound outside of a medical clinic setting and does not endorse the use of ultrasound for non-medical reasons. Patient referrals are made to physicians for follow-up diagnosis and care as needed.