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Review
. 2014 Jan 2:8:1-7.
doi: 10.4137/CMC.S13645. eCollection 2014.

Echocardiography practice: insights into appropriate clinical use, technical competence and quality improvement program

Antoine Kossaify  1 , Gilles Grollier  2
Affiliations
Review

Echocardiography practice: insights into appropriate clinical use, technical competence and quality improvement program

Antoine Kossaify et al. Clin Med Insights Cardiol. .

Abstract

Echocardiography accounts for nearly half of all cardiac imaging techniques. It is a widely available and adaptable tool, as well as being a cost-effective and mainly a non-invasive test. In addition, echocardiography provides extensive clinical data, which is related to the presence or advent of different modalities (tissue Doppler imaging, speckle tracking imaging, three-dimensional mode, contrast echo, etc.), different approaches (transesophageal, intravascular, etc.), and different applications (ie, heart failure/resynchronization studies, ischemia/stress echo, etc.). In view of this, it is essential to conform to criteria of appropriate use and to keep standards of competence. In this study, we sought to review and discuss clinical practice of echocardiography in light of the criteria of appropriate clinical use, also we present an insight into echocardiographic technical competence and quality improvement project.

Keywords: appropriate use; assessment; competence; echocardiography; quality improvement; training.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Parameters involved in the Echocardiographic process.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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