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HIT Poster session 3, European Heart Journal - Cardiovascular Imaging, Volume 17, Issue suppl_2, December 2016, Pages ii171–ii178, https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjci/jew258
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Introduction: Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is a widely used investigation and is commonly requested by cardiologists and other specialties. There are well-established national and international guidelines outlining appropriate indications for TTE and requests should contain all relevant information to ensure that the echocardiographer can address the clinical question.
In our centre, over 3,500 echocardiograms are performed per year. All specialties have direct access for requesting scans. We performed a systematic analysis of TTE requests to assess appropriateness and degree of clinical information provided to see if the process could be improved.
Methods: Requests for all echocardiograms performed over a one-month period were reviewed. Information provided on the request was used to assess the appropriateness of the test. Appropriateness was graded according to both British Society of Echocardiography (BSE) and American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF) guidelines. Comparison was made between tests requested by the cardiology team and other specialties. Previous TTE scans were reviewed to see whether sufficient time had passed to warrant a repeat scan.