Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month

Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month

Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month is held annually in October. It is observed to create awareness of the role diagnostic medical sonographers play in the medical community. And, in addition, it educates the public about medical ultrasound and its many uses in healthcare. The purpose of MUAM is to encourage the public to learn more about ultrasound. It further educates about the growing recognition of ultrasound as a vital medical tool. Wear a black and blue enamel awareness ribbon pin, which is available in both a personalized and non-personalized version.

Six ultrasound organizations—the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography, the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers, Cardiovascular Credentialing International, the Society for Vascular Ultrasound, and the American Society of Echocardiography unite every year to sponsor Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month (MUAM).

Medical ultrasound and point-of-care ultrasound are revolutionizing how medical teams diagnose and treat patients. This extends far beyond sonograms. MUAM highlights the significance of sonography. And it promotes it in two ways. The first is as an educational path and a career choice. And the second is that it encompasses more than just a profession.

Ways to Raise Awareness for Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month

Here are some ways to educate the public, raise medical ultrasound awareness, and celebrate this profession during MUAM:

• See My Heart: Do your patients have questions about cardiovascular ultrasound?  Please suggest they visit SeeMyHeart.org. This site helps patients and the public understand heart and circulation ultrasound. SeeMyHeart also has an entire Cardiovascular Media Library. It features animations of cardiovascular ultrasound procedures. It also includes FAQs to help patients learn more about echocardiography.
• Echo AUC App: ASE’s Echo AUC app, based on appropriate use criteria, was developed to help guide patient-physician interactions for the best patient care.  This FREE app is part of the Choosing Wisely® campaign and can be downloaded to a tablet or smart phone.  Simply search for “Echo AUC” in the Apple or Google Play store. Support for this app was provided by the ABIM Foundation, as part of a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to advance the Choosing Wisely campaign. For more information or to see other lists of Five Things Physicians and Patients Should Question, visit www.choosingwisely.org.
• Patient Guide PDFs: Download “A Patient’s Guide to Heart Ultrasound” and “A Patent’s Guide to Circulation Ultrasound.” These guides help patients better understand the benefits of these procedures. Download these for free and  provide patients a greater knowledge of ultrasound throughout the entire year.

How Can Sonographers Participate in MUAM?

• Educate your patients. Many of the participating ultrasound organizations provide resources to help you educate your patients. For example, you can access FAQs, fact sheets, and ultrasound term glossaries on the ARDMS and AIUM websites. The ASE’s website has printable patient guides specific to heart and vascular ultrasound (the ASE also recommends referring patients to SeeMyHeart.org.). You might like to create customized brochures or handouts for your patients, as well as aspiring sonographers and other healthcare staff. In addition, open up a dialogue with your patients. You might initiate a conversation with a patient like this: “It’s Ultrasound Awareness Month, and I’m making an effort to raise awareness. Do you have any questions about your procedure or other aspects of ultrasound?”

Share an informative video over social media or with your friends.

• The SDMS has produced a great video, “Why Sonographers Do What They Do,” which includes real-life examples of people whose lives have been improved or extended because of ultrasound.

Talk about certification.

• Talk to your patients about the importance of ultrasound certification and your own credentials. Encourage colleagues and students to pursue certification, and consider mentoring emerging sonographers in your career.

Display ultrasound pride.

• Several ultrasound organizations offer images for you to display and build awareness. For example, the SDMS provides logos that you can download as desktop wallpaper, and the SVU offers Facebook and X covers.

Talk to the media.

• The SVU recommends reaching out to local media outlets (print, radio, TV, online) to run spotlight ads about Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month and the importance of sonography. The SVU has a sample press release on their website that you can use as a basis when suggesting the story to them.

Have some fun!

• There are numerous enjoyable activities you can organize in the workplace, such as hosting a potluck or night out for colleagues, conducting an ultrasound trivia game with prizes for patients and other medical departments, or even an open house event.