ABSTRACT
The term ‘quality assurance’ (QA) has many definitions and is used in a variety of contexts. Most often it refers to schemes for maintaining the outcomes of some process or activity as measured against a required standard. In clinical ultrasound, the process outcome is usually the creation of a series of images which have a clinical utility and so a full QA programme would include not only the equipment but every element of the process from patient referral to final report. Routine QA should be performed by clinical staff. This promotes and maintains an awareness of possible fault or damage conditions, increasing the chances of faults being reported and remedied outside the testing schedule. Tests should take no more than a few minutes, so should not have a significant adverse effect on clinical work. Whatever test is being performed, it is important to have a clear and easily reproducible protocol for setting up the scanner.
