diff --git a/src/platform/plugins/shared/unified_doc_viewer/public/components/observability/traces/components/full_screen_waterfall/helpers/is_span.test.ts b/src/platform/plugins/shared/unified_doc_viewer/public/components/observability/traces/components/full_screen_waterfall/helpers/is_span.test.ts
index 945cef927bbad..f7990d6d6b103 100644
--- a/src/platform/plugins/shared/unified_doc_viewer/public/components/observability/traces/components/full_screen_waterfall/helpers/is_span.test.ts
+++ b/src/platform/plugins/shared/unified_doc_viewer/public/components/observability/traces/components/full_screen_waterfall/helpers/is_span.test.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  * License v3.0 only", or the "Server Side Public License, v 1".
  */
 
-import { OTEL_SPAN_KIND, PROCESSOR_EVENT_FIELD, DataTableRecord } from '@kbn/discover-utils';
+import { PROCESSOR_EVENT_FIELD, DataTableRecord } from '@kbn/discover-utils';
 import { isSpanHit } from './is_span';
 
 describe('isSpanHit', () => {
@@ -19,17 +19,6 @@ describe('isSpanHit', () => {
     expect(isSpanHit(hit)).toBe(false);
   });
 
-  it('returns true for an OTEL span (spanKind is present)', () => {
-    const hit = {
-      flattened: {
-        [OTEL_SPAN_KIND]: 'client',
-        [PROCESSOR_EVENT_FIELD]: 'span',
-      },
-    } as unknown as DataTableRecord;
-
-    expect(isSpanHit(hit)).toBe(true);
-  });
-
   it('returns true when processorEvent is null (OTEL fallback)', () => {
     const hit = {
       flattened: {
@@ -50,11 +39,10 @@ describe('isSpanHit', () => {
     expect(isSpanHit(hit)).toBe(true);
   });
 
-  it('returns false when processorEvent is not "span" and spanKind is null', () => {
+  it('returns false when processorEvent is not "span" ', () => {
     const hit = {
       flattened: {
         [PROCESSOR_EVENT_FIELD]: 'transaction',
-        [OTEL_SPAN_KIND]: null,
       },
     } as unknown as DataTableRecord;
 
diff --git a/src/platform/plugins/shared/unified_doc_viewer/public/components/observability/traces/components/full_screen_waterfall/helpers/is_span.ts b/src/platform/plugins/shared/unified_doc_viewer/public/components/observability/traces/components/full_screen_waterfall/helpers/is_span.ts
index 258b78ef6bc19..a57471da056d0 100644
--- a/src/platform/plugins/shared/unified_doc_viewer/public/components/observability/traces/components/full_screen_waterfall/helpers/is_span.ts
+++ b/src/platform/plugins/shared/unified_doc_viewer/public/components/observability/traces/components/full_screen_waterfall/helpers/is_span.ts
@@ -7,17 +7,19 @@
  * License v3.0 only", or the "Server Side Public License, v 1".
  */
 
-import { DataTableRecord, OTEL_SPAN_KIND, PROCESSOR_EVENT_FIELD } from '@kbn/discover-utils';
+import { DataTableRecord, PROCESSOR_EVENT_FIELD } from '@kbn/discover-utils';
+import { getFlattenedFields } from '@kbn/discover-utils/src/utils/get_flattened_fields';
 
 export const isSpanHit = (hit: DataTableRecord | null): boolean => {
   if (!hit?.flattened) {
     return false;
   }
 
-  const processorEvent = hit.flattened[PROCESSOR_EVENT_FIELD];
-  const spanKind = hit.flattened[OTEL_SPAN_KIND];
+  const processorEvent = getFlattenedFields<{ [PROCESSOR_EVENT_FIELD]: string }>(hit, [
+    PROCESSOR_EVENT_FIELD,
+  ])[PROCESSOR_EVENT_FIELD];
 
-  const isOtelSpan = spanKind != null || processorEvent == null;
+  const isOtelSpan = processorEvent == null;
   const isApmSpan = processorEvent === 'span';
 
   return isApmSpan || isOtelSpan;