ISUOG Clinical Standards Committee: the way forward.

The International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG) represents over 94 nations and 2800 multidisciplinary members. Over its 18year history, ISUOG has made significant contributions to scientific research and medical education for healthcare professionals and industry. Special-interest groups have also examined emerging new technologies, such as three-dimensional ultrasonography and fetal magnetic resonance imaging. This robust activity has raised an important need for our Society to formally develop consensus statements and guidelines that could be used by the international medical community as a benchmark for current medical practice. In 2006, the ISUOG Executive Committee approved the formation of a Clinical Standards Committee (CSC) to meet this need. There was not a specific roadmap to follow, although the experience of an ad-hoc Task Force, chaired by Dr Wesley Lee, that successfully developed fetal cardiac screening guidelines, was used as the initial model. Several ISUOG members with expertise in fetal cardiology were invited to participate in this endeavor. These practice guidelines were developed under the auspices of the Education Committee, chaired by Professor Sturla Eik-Nes, and were published in the Journal1. Another practice guideline was subsequently developed for the sonographic examination of the fetal central nervous system2. One of the first roles of the newly formed CSC was to establish definitions and standardized operating procedures for the submission and efficient review of proposed topics. Practice Guidelines provide systematically developed recommendations for the use of diagnostic imaging in obstetrics and gynecology. Their primary aim is to assist healthcare professionals in maintaining the highest possible clinical practice standards for our specialty. Consensus Statements provide a brief overview and expert opinion for a diagnostic imaging procedure or related topic that is based on the available scientific evidence. ISUOG Practice Guidelines and Consensus Statements are not intended to serve as a medicolegal standard. Their main aim is to improve the quality of diagnostic imaging practice by disseminating this information to healthcare professionals worldwide. The CSC now invites members to formally submit proposals for a Practice Guideline or Consensus Statement. We anticipate many good ideas to come forward for consideration. However, not all submissions are guaranteed to proceed beyond the screening stage. An initial review process has been structured to assure members that reviews are fair, unbiased, efficient and defined succinctly. This CSC proposal should not exceed two pages in length and should contain the following information: