Organization of paediatric and congenital echocardiography laboratories and governance of echocardiography services and training in Europe. A Statement of the EACVI of the ESC, the AEPC, and the ESC Working Group on Adult Congenital Heart Disease
This document has been developed as a comprehensive roadmap to the organization of paediatric and congenital echocardiography laboratories, as well as the governance of echocardiography services and training across Europe. The following key topics will be reviewed and discussed: i) the setup and organization of paediatric and congenital echocardiography laboratories; ii) staffing requirements for these laboratories; iii) work time organization; and iv) quality improvement processes. This document aims to identify the minimum number of medical and allied health professional staff required for each laboratory based on specific workload demands, whilst also detailing the basic medical accreditation requirements needed. Principles of work time organisation will be addressed, including the time allocation needed for various types of echocardiographic examinations (e.g., first-time or complex examinations, follow-up, and quick assessments). The necessary time and space for reporting, communicating results (e.g., discussions with parents, liaising with other departments), and overall workflow will also be analysed. Additionally, quality improvement processes will be discussed, with a focus on strategies and minimum requirements for enhancing training and teaching. Approaches to encourage and support research initiatives within paediatric and congenital echocardiography laboratories will also be outlined.
Authors
- Heynric B. Grotenhuis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9625-5969)
- Anna Sabaté-Rotés (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3127-7673)
- Misha Bhat (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5719-7671)
- Almudena Ortiz Garrido
- Inga Voges (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7406-8006)
- Peter Olejník (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0086-5114)
- Martin Köestenberger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1766-7859)
- Margarita Brida (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8754-8156)
- Henrik Brun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0432-1907)
- Francesca Raimondi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2580-151X)
- Massimiliano Cantinotti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2430-6480)
- Kai Thorsten Laser (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6008-1645)
- CJ McMahon
- Tristan Ramcharan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0197-0722)
- Emanuela Valsangiacomo Buechel
- Diala Khraiche
- Andriana Anagostopoulou
- Beatrice Bonnello
- Markku Leskinen
- Arno A W Roest
- Ulrike Herberg
- Owen Miller
- Giovanni Di Salvo
- Werner Budts
- Jaroslaw Meyer-Szary
- Jan Sunnegardh
- Gabriela Doros
Institutions
- University College Dublin (IE)
- Hebron University (PS)
- Oslo University Hospital (NO)
- Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades (FR)
- University Medical Center Groningen (NL)
- University of Padua (IT)
- University of Rijeka (HR)
- Medical University of Graz (AT)
- Oulu University Hospital (FI)
- Leiden University Medical Center (NL)
- Great Ormond Street Hospital (GB)
- Heart and Diabetes Center North Rhine-Westphalia (DE)
- Children's Health Ireland at Crumlin (IE)
- Children's of Alabama (US)
- Victor Babeș University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timișoara (RO)
- Birmingham Children's Hospital (GB)
- Drottning Silvias barn- och ungdomssjukhus (SE)
- Ospedale Papa Giovanni XXIII (IT)
- University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (DE)
- Children's Hospital Agia Sophia (GR)
- University Children's Hospital Zurich (CH)
- Hospital Materno-Infantil (ES)
- Skåne University Hospital (SE)
- Evelina London Children's Healthcare (GB)
- Fondazione Toscana Gabriele Monasterio (IT)
- University College London (GB)
- Comenius University Bratislava (SK)
- Gdańsk Medical University (PL)
- University of Lübeck (DE)
- KU Leuven (BE)
- FH Aachen (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- European Heart Journal - Cardiovascular Imaging
- Published
- 2025-12-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjci/jeaf373
- Primary Topic
- Ultrasound in Clinical Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00