title: Credentialing in interventional therapy in Europe - comparison of curricula including endovascular therapy of arterial diseases.
abstract: The prevalence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) is continuously increasing. In addition, the treatment of PAD has changed substantially over the last decades. Novel treatment modalities and diagnostic tools were developed and endovascular therapy was established as a first-line therapy. In consequence, vascular medicine has become an interdisciplinary field, involving different specialties such as internal medicine/cardiology, internal medicine/angiology, vascular surgery, and (interventional) radiology. Attributed to the expanding field and to ensure high quality and standardized training, various curricula were developed. Not only within the different medical disciplines but across countries. We compared the training programmes in Germany, Switzerland, and Europe and found a great variety in these curricula and programmes. Nevertheless, we identified first attempts to harmonize training requirements within the various societies: the interdisciplinary guidelines of the German Society for Cardiology (DGK) and the German Society of Angiology, the adoption of European standards on a national level, and the Swiss initiative of the Union of Vascular Societies of Switzerland (UVSS). The standard and level of training is high in all curricula and societies. However, further harmonization is needed to optimize patient care and ensure a uniform quality level across different vascular societies.
authors.affiliation: 1 Vascular Center Berlin, SGK-Behandlungszentrum, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Karl-Ludwig
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Schulte
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Radiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Pia M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Jungmann
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Makaloski
authors.affiliation: 4 Cardiology Department, Coimbra University Hospital Center-General Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Coimbra University, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Lino
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Goncalves
authors.affiliation: 5 Department for Vascular Surgery, Krankenhaus Barmherzige Brüder, Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Steinbauer
authors.affiliation: 6 Department of Internal Medicine, Ev. Krankenhaus Königin Elisabeth Herzberge, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vonberg
authors.affiliation: 7 Consultant Medical Writer, Moosburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Beatrix B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Doerr
authors.affiliation: 8 Department of Angiology, St. Gertrauden Krankenhaus, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Langhoff
authors.affiliation: 9 Clinic for Angiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Frederic
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Baumann
mesh_terms: D002406:Catheterization, Peripheral / Q000592:standards; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003406:Credentialing / Q000592:standards; D003479:Curriculum; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D057510:Endovascular Procedures / Q000193:education* / Q000592:standards; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D058729:Peripheral Arterial Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'
keywords: Curricula endovascular therapy; European vascular societies; interventional training