How is the Trust doing?

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Performance remains steady over time, however the Trust is aiming to increase the number of patients who have an echocardiogram (echo) during their admission. The indicator also includes patients who had an echo in the first month after discharge, as this is part of the follow-up process. It is important to note that some patients who did not have an echo during their admission may have had an echo on a previous admission in the recent past.

Sometimes, adequate imaging of the heart cannot be achieved with echocardiography. In such cases, clinicians may choose to do a cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) scan, a nuclear scan or an angiogram instead.

Why is this indicator important?

The diagnosis of heart failure is made on the basis of a clinical history, examination and investigations. Echocardiography is an essential part of the diagnostic process. It involves an ultrasound examination of the heart muscle, valves and chambers which is used to assess of the contraction of the heart (systolic function) and relaxation (diastolic function).

How do we measure this indicator?

Emergency admission patients with a primary diagnosis of heart failure on discharge are extracted from Lorenzo. The Prism database is then checked to see if the patient had an echocardiogram in the three months prior to discharge, or in the first month after discharge.

Data sources

• Oceano: patient administration system
• Prism: cardiology and respiratory patient tracking system