Abstract

Abstract Introduction Despite rapid technologic advances and sustained growth, less attention has been focused on quality in imaging than in other areas of cardiovascular medicine. To address this deficit, the ACC proposed additional areas of effort such as data standardisation, structured reporting identifying key data elements and imaging registries. We explored these changes within a large multi-centre Australian registry. Methods From 2010–2014 we introduced direct online entry of echocardiographic studies into an electronic database, selection and auditing of key data elements and quality improvement pathways to maximise completeness of data acquisition and reporting across 4 states. We compared completeness of key data elements (AV peak velocity, EF, E/E', LA area, rhythm, RVSP) by time and state using de-identified data. Results 464,688 echocardiographic procedures were captured from 2011 to 2018. Data completeness improved significantly from 2011 to 2018 (72.0±26.8 vs 88.2±13.5%, p=0.02). Inter-practice variability fell from 2011 to 2018 for both EF and E/E', p<0.002 Conclusion Identification, systematic capture and auditing of key echo data elements can significantly improve the quality and reduce inter-practice variability of echo data. Developing a national database allows rapid adoption of local quality improvements. Acknowledgement/Funding None

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call