Assessment of benefits of Echo Workflow Solution: Findings from a two-step Delphi study

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the clinical, operational, and economic benefits of Echo Workflow Solution comprising cardiac ultrasound systems and their advanced echo imaging tools; Ultrasound Workspace tools for advanced visualization and analysis; and the IntelliSpace Cardiovascular platform for image and information management and reporting.MethodA modified Delphi method consisting of two rounds of queries was used to survey a panel of seven experts at geographically dispersed sites (Spain: 2, Thailand: 1, Saudi Arabia: 1, United Kingdom: 2, and USA: 1). Experts were identified via referral and selected based on experience with the solution. Both rounds of the Delphi process were conducted via a verbal or offline questionnaire between December 2021 and April 2022. Participants rated 14 attributes of the solution on a Likert Scale and added qualitative responses.ResultsConsensus was unanimous that the solution can enhance access to complete and longitudinal data needed for patient care decision-making; can lead to increased report consistency, measurement reproducibility and comparability; can help with better collaboration within the user’s organization, can help with saving report turnaround time and with improving time-to-detection and/or diagnosis.The majority of respondents (86%) agreed that use of the Echo Workflow Solution can help increase confidence in diagnosis decision-making; can improve staff experience by providing single screen access to the patient data and lower cognitive load.ConclusionThe study demonstrated that the Echo Workflow Solution can offer clinical and operational benefits. Responses indicated that the solution help with several aspects: reducing time to diagnosis, making it easier to accommodate emergency patients, providing time to perform more advanced studies, and/or increasing time spent with patients. Responses also indicated that the increased consistency and reproducibility of studies can potentially eliminate the need for unnecessary exams, which may result in a better patient experience and economic benefits for healthcare systems. The value of reproducibility, improved time to detection/diagnosis and increased confidence were particularly evident in complex cases and for patients requiring serial studies.