Abdurrahman Yusuf

Colchester Hospital, United Kingdom

Abstract Title: Enhancing Echocardiogram Request Triage Efficiency and Appropriateness Using BSE Guidelines: A Quality Improvement Project

Biography: Dr Abdurrahman Yusuf is an internal medicine trainee (registrar) at Colchester Hospital with a strong interest in quality improvement and cardiovascular care. He has led projects focused on optimising diagnostic pathways and improving clinical efficiency. His work aims to enhance patient outcomes through evidence-based practice and system-level interventions aligned with national guidelines.

Research Interest: Background: Delays in inpatient echocardiography are frequently caused by inappropriate or incomplete requests, resulting in inefficient resource utilisation and delayed patient care. A baseline audit (MEDCOL24-034, May 2025) at Colchester Hospital demonstrated suboptimal adherence to British Society of Echocardiography (BSE) guidelines, with 82% of requests deemed appropriate and 77% completed within 24 hours. Aim: To increase appropriate inpatient echocardiogram requests from 82% to 90% and improve completion within 24 hours from 77% to 85% by September 2025. Methods: A retrospective audit of 100 inpatient echocardiogram requests was conducted in February 2025. Interventions included clinician education, dissemination of BSE guideline posters across departments, and informal teaching sessions. A re-audit was performed in June 2025 to complete the first quality improvement cycle. Pre/peri-operative and discharge-pending patients were excluded. Results: Appropriateness improved from 82% to 90%. The proportion of echocardiograms performed within 24 hours increased from 77% to 88%. Urgent request compliance within 24 hours improved from 90% to 92%. A reduction in urgent requests (90% to 80%) suggested improved triage and categorisation. Delays beyond 48 hours remained minimal. Conclusion: Targeted educational interventions improved adherence to BSE guidelines, enhancing both appropriateness and timeliness of echocardiography requests. This contributed to improved workflow efficiency and patient care. Further work is needed to sustain improvements and address ongoing challenges such as incomplete clinical information and repeat requests. Keywords Echocardiography; Quality Improvement; Clinical Audit; Patient Flow; Healthcare Efficiency