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Common mistakes to avoid in Sonio

What you'll learn

  • The common mistakes sonographers and readers make in Sonio, and the consequence of each.
  • The habit that prevents each one, so you can coach it.
  • A short checklist you can share directly with your team.

The common mistakes (and how to avoid them)

These group loosely into three moments: before the exam, during the exam, and at submit/sign. Each item has a dedicated article when you want the detailed fix.

Before the exam

1. Not starting the exam from the worklist.

  • Typing patient details on the machine instead of selecting the worklist entry breaks the EHR integration, so images will transfer to Sonio onto a new or wrong patient record.
  • Workaround: If a patient is missing from machine worklist (EHR connection issue, etc), sonographers should be instructed to enter the DICOM ID and Accession Number .

⚠️ To avoid: Sonographers should always start from the machine worklist. 

2. Not searching by MRN when scheduling or starting.

  • Scanning under the wrong or a duplicate patient.

⚠️ To avoid: Search by MRN first. Use the "similar patients" warning to pick the existing record.

3. Leaving the preferred-pregnancy star on the old pregnancy for a returning patient.

The new exam attaches to the previous pregnancy and shows the wrong gestational age.

⚠️ To avoid: Set the new pregnancy as the preferred pregnancy (star) before scanning. See "How to Prevent New Exams from Attaching to a Previous Pregnancy".

During the exam

1. Not finishing the exam on the machine.

  • Measurements and the structured report are sent at end of exam, so the report shows no measurements until you finish on the machine.

⚠️ To avoid: Sonographers should fnish or end the exam on the machine, this will ensure the SR is transferred to Sonio.

Please note: If the customer's system is not configured correctly, failing to end the exam may prevent images from transferring as well. Best practice is to configure the ultrasound machine to send images as they are acquired. However, some systems may be configured to send images only when the exam is ended.

2. Mislabeling twins on the machine (for example, labeling everything as Fetus A).

  • One fetus ends up with no measurements.

⚠️ To avoid: Sonographers should annotate "Twin A"/"Twin B" consistently, then review the fetus association in Sonio.

At submit and sign

1. Trying to submit or sign with mandatory fields empty.
  • Sonio blocks it exams from being submitted or signed if required fields are empty.
  • If user is reporting being unable to submit an exam, be sure to check all required fields are filled in.

⚠️ To avoid: Sonographers should complete all asterisked (required) fields. Use the Quick access sidebar to jump to a flagged section. See How to submit an exam.

2. Signing without a reading provider assigned.

  • The Sign action is blocked, or the report has no named reader.

⚠️ To avoid: Sonographer should assign the reading provider before signing. See How to sign a report.

3. Re-clicking Submit or Sign before the page moves.
  • Can cause duplicate actions.

⚠️ To avoid: Sonographers should wait for the page to redirect.

4. Changing the measurement author mid-pregnancy.
  • Percentiles are no longer comparable across visits.

⚠️ To avoid: Sonographer/users should keep a consistent measurement author unless they want to change it deliberately - however they should be aware of the impacts.

5. Editing a signed report directly.
  • A signed report is locked.

⚠️ To avoid: User will need to reopen (unsign) it, edit, then sign again.

💡Tip: the two highest-value habits

Two habits prevent the most issues:

  1. Start every exam from the worklist.
  2. Search by MRN first.

If your team gets only two things right, make it these.

The top cause of a wrong gestational age

⚠️ A returning patient left on the wrong pregnancy is the top cause of a wrong gestational age. Set the new pregnancy as the preferred pregnancy (star) before scanning. 

Champion's quick checklist

Share this with your team as the short list of do's:

  • [ ] Start every exam from the machine worklist.
  • [ ] Search by MRN first. Pick the existing record from the "similar patients" warning.
  • [ ] For a returning patient, set the new pregnancy as the preferred pregnancy before scanning.
  • [ ] Finish or end the exam on the machine so measurements and the report are sent.
  • [ ] Label twins consistently ("Twin A"/"Twin B") and check the fetus association in Sonio.
  • [ ] Fill every mandatory (asterisked) field before submitting or signing.
  • [ ] Assign the reading provider before signing.
  • [ ] Wait for the page to redirect after Submit or Sign. Do not re-click.
  • [ ] Keep a consistent measurement author across a pregnancy.
  • [ ] To change a signed report, unsign it, edit, then sign again.

When it is not a user mistake

Some issues are not caused by how the exam was run. Connectivity and configuration problems (for example, how Sonio connects to your systems) can produce similar symptoms. When the checklist above does not explain what you are seeing, contact Sonio Support.