Obstetric Ultrasound Image Sharing Software for Medical Clinics

Patient portals excel at routine medical communication, but they create serious privacy risks for obstetric ultrasound images. Unlike other ultrasounds, obstetric ultrasound images are emotionally charged—expectant mothers will inevitably share these precious moments on social media. When your portal provides images containing burned in patient names, dates of birth, and medical record numbers, you have transferred liability without transferring control.

The uncomfortable truth: patient portals treat obstetric images like medical documents when they actually function like family photographs. When mothers share ultrasounds on Instagram complete with visible personally identifiable information (PII), the privacy breach is not patient non-compliance—it is a predictable system failure. As clinical leaders, we meticulously protect sensitive data within our IT infrastructure, yet hand patients their baby images laden with personal information and hope for the best.

Progressive practices recognise that obstetric imaging requires specialised safeguards. This is not about replacing your portal—it is about acknowledging that ultrasound images need automatic de-identification and branding before patient access. True clinical leadership means adapting systems to human behaviour, not blaming patients for predictable actions.

In the real example below from TikTok, Suzanne’s full name, MRN/NHI, and other details are visible as she shared her patient portal image on social media. Key personally identifiable information (PII) was not protected before leaving the clinic, making its appearance on social platforms inevitable.