title: [Cardiac sonographers: a unique reality in Anglo-saxon countries? The experience of an Italian echo-lab which is employing them since 1984].
abstract: Cardiac sonographers play a key role in the management of echo-laboratories in anglo-saxon countries. In Italy, and generally in "latin" countries nearly all echocardiographic studies are performed by cardiologists. However, because of the increasing demand for echocardiography, this practice will no longer be feasible (medical schools do not graduate enough cardiologists!), and cost-effective (the cost of echocardiography performed by cardiologists only is becoming too high!). Introduction of cardiac sonographers in Italian echo-laboratories may represent a feasible and cost-effective solution to the ever increasing demand for echocardiography. In order to contribute to the debate, we report the experience of our echo-laboratory that employs cardiac sonographers since 1984.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Ecocardiografia, Dipartimento di Scienze Cardiopolmonari, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria, Udine.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: del Mestre
authors.forename: Rossana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Compassi
authors.forename: Luigi P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Badano
authors.forename: Maria Luisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Monti
authors.forename: Rosanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ciani
authors.forename: Simonetta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Buiese
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gianfagna
authors.forename: Paolo M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Fioretti
mesh_terms: D000488:Allied Health Personnel / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000191:economics*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D007755:Laboratories, Hospital / Q000191:economics*; D010820:Physicians / Q000191:economics / Q000600:supply & distribution; D006113:United Kingdom; D014481:United States