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Background: The 2011 Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) were developed by the Ameri-
can Society of Echocardiography (ASE) to provide guidance for referring physicians in
response to growing concerns about unnecessary transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) requests. When applied in multiple centres overseas, the rate of inappropriate referrals was as high as 22%.
Aim: To assess the applicability of, and the level of adherence to the 2011 AUC in an
Australian regional hospital where the AUC have not been tested systematically.
Methods: A retrospective analysis of 1000 inpatient and outpatient TTE referrals was
conducted between January 2014 and June 2014 at Bendigo Hospital, a major regional referral hospital.
Results: Ninety-eight percent of the TTE referrals were classifiable. The most common
indication for ordering TTE was to evaluate symptoms potentially related to a cardiac
aetiology. Of the classifiable referrals, 77% were appropriate, 20.3% were inappropriate and 2.7% were uncertain. The most common inappropriate indications were routine surveillance of the left ventricular (LV) function in stable chronic cardiac conditions and routine perioperative evaluation of the LV function with no symptoms or signs of cardiovascular disease. Inappropriate referrals were significantly more frequent in out-patients compared with inpatients (24.4% vs 9.6%, P < 0.001).
Conclusion: This study provides a novel insight into the ordering of TTEs in regional
Australia. In this study, one in five referrals had an inappropriate indication and could
be avoided. This may have significant implications for healthcare resources in regional
centres, and strategies to reduce inappropriate echocardiography ordering need to be implemented. |
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