Survey of provision of echocardiography in Scottish district general hospitals

A telephone survey of echocardiography services in district general hospitals in Scotland was carried out in 1999. The study showed wide variation in the echocardiography services among the district hospitals in terms of equipment, personnel and service provision. The number of echocardiograms performed by a centre is partly dependent on the demand but is more critically influenced by the local provision of service. In particular, sufficient numbers of trained technicians hold the key to efficient high output services. The survey has provided a platform for comparison of echocardiography services among the district general hospitals in Scotland. We hope that this will encourage individual district hospitals to audit their echocardiography service with a special emphasis on the role of the technician.