Brian D Soriano1, Craig E Fleishman2, Andrea M Van Hoever3, Bonnie Wright4, Beth Printz5, Theresa A Tacy6, Vivekanand Allada7, Wyman W Lai8, Sujatha Buddhe9, Shubhika Srivastava10. 1. Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, Washington. Electronic address: brian.soriano@seattlechildrens.org. 2. Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, Orlando, Florida. 3. American Society of Echocardiography, Durham, North Carolina. 4. Gwinnett Medical Center, Lawrenceville, Georgia. 5. University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California. 6. Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Palo Alto, California. 7. Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 8. CHOC Children's Hospital, Orange, California. 9. Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, Washington. 10. Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The American Society of Echocardiography Committee on Pediatric Echocardiography Laboratory Productivity was formed in 2011 to study institutional factors that could influence the clinical productivity of physicians and sonographers in academic pediatric echocardiography laboratories. In the previous two surveys, staff clinical productivity remained stable while total echocardiography volumes increased. This third survey was designed to assess how clinical productivity is associated with laboratory infrastructure elements such as training, administrative tasks, quality improvement, research, and use of focused cardiac ultrasound (FCU). METHODS: Survey questions were sent by e-mail to North American laboratories. The aims were to assess (1) educational and training obligations, (2) academic productivity and research, (3) laboratory medical director satisfaction, (4) quality improvement, (5) laboratory leadership roles, and (6) impact and use of FCU. Survey responses were compared with clinical productivity metrics defined in the first two surveys. RESULTS: There were 38 responses. Academic productivity was higher at institutions with more dedicated imaging personnel, personnel with dedicated protected academic time, and advanced imaging fellows. Academic productivity did not correlate with clinical productivity and was not significantly affected by the presence of dedicated research sonographers. The satisfaction level of laboratory medical directors was related to dedicated administrative time and an administrative stipend. The majority of administrative roles were tasked to the laboratory medical director with support of the technical director. FCU was listed as a hospital privilege at four institutions (13%). Twenty-two (58%) were training FCU providers in one or more subspecialties. FCU was not associated with clinical or academic productivity. CONCLUSIONS: This third survey gathered supplemental data to complement the clinical productivity data collected from the first two surveys. Together, the results of these surveys further describe the range of factors that can affect North American academic pediatric echocardiography laboratories.
BACKGROUND: The American Society of Echocardiography Committee on Pediatric Echocardiography Laboratory Productivity was formed in 2011 to study institutional factors that could influence the clinical productivity of physicians and sonographers in academic pediatric echocardiography laboratories. In the previous two surveys, staff clinical productivity remained stable while total echocardiography volumes increased. This third survey was designed to assess how clinical productivity is associated with laboratory infrastructure elements such as training, administrative tasks, quality improvement, research, and use of focused cardiac ultrasound (FCU). METHODS: Survey questions were sent by e-mail to North American laboratories. The aims were to assess (1) educational and training obligations, (2) academic productivity and research, (3) laboratory medical director satisfaction, (4) quality improvement, (5) laboratory leadership roles, and (6) impact and use of FCU. Survey responses were compared with clinical productivity metrics defined in the first two surveys. RESULTS: There were 38 responses. Academic productivity was higher at institutions with more dedicated imaging personnel, personnel with dedicated protected academic time, and advanced imaging fellows. Academic productivity did not correlate with clinical productivity and was not significantly affected by the presence of dedicated research sonographers. The satisfaction level of laboratory medical directors was related to dedicated administrative time and an administrative stipend. The majority of administrative roles were tasked to the laboratory medical director with support of the technical director. FCU was listed as a hospital privilege at four institutions (13%). Twenty-two (58%) were training FCU providers in one or more subspecialties. FCU was not associated with clinical or academic productivity. CONCLUSIONS: This third survey gathered supplemental data to complement the clinical productivity data collected from the first two surveys. Together, the results of these surveys further describe the range of factors that can affect North American academic pediatric echocardiography laboratories.