The assessment of technical and interpretative proficiency in echocardiography.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to assess the relationship between traditional measures of proficiency in echocardiography and an objective assessment of technical and interpretative skills.


BACKGROUND
Determination of competency in echocardiography is currently based on the number of months of training, echocardiograms scanned, and echocardiograms interpreted. It has not been established whether completion of these requirements is a surrogate for competency.


METHODS
In all, 22 cardiology fellows underwent an echocardiography objective structured clinical examination (OSCE).


RESULTS
There was a correlation between the number of echocardiograms scanned and the interpretation (r = 0.45, P = .038) and scanning (r = 0.42, P = .048) scores. There was a weak correlation between the number of echocardiograms interpreted and interpretation scores (r = 0.33); and number of months of training and the scanning (r = 0.39) and interpretation (r = 0.42) scores.


CONCLUSIONS
Technical and interpretative proficiency in echocardiography is not related to traditional measures. An objective assessment of acquisition and interpretation of echocardiographic data should be incorporated into the assessment of proficiency in echocardiography.
Nair
Parvathy
P
Gordon Yu Hoi Chiu and A. D. Barry McKelvey Echocardiographic Laboratories, The Toronto Western and Toronto General Hospitals, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Siu
Samuel C
SC
Sloggett
Cairrine E
CE
Biclar
Lizette
L
Sidhu
Ravindar S
RS
Yu
Eric H C
EH
D002170:Canada; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D015588:Observer Variation; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity