AI-Enhanced Echocardiography Workflows in Community Cardiology
Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
Chief Pharmacist, North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, and Honorary Professor, University of Cumbria
Cardiology Research Registrar, North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
An echocardiogram is an ultrasound scan of the heart. It helps healthcare professionals diagnose conditions such as heart failure and heart valve disease. Demand for these scans is high, and long waits can delay diagnosis and treatment, as well as cause anxiety for patients.
This project will test whether artificial intelligence can help community cardiology clinics carry out more echocardiograms without reducing the quality or safety of care. At present, the participating clinic can usually complete around ten scans during a working day. The researchers will compare the current, fully manual approach with an AI-supported approach that can assist with some of the measurements and analysis normally undertaken by the sonographer.
The study will examine whether the AI-supported workflow allows more patients to be seen within the same clinic hours. It will also assess whether each scan continues to meet the quality standards set by the British Society of Echocardiography. The AI will support rather than replace clinical judgement, with sonographers remaining responsible for carrying out and reporting the scans.
Patients and sonographers will be asked about their experiences of both approaches. This will help the researchers understand whether increased efficiency affects communication, reassurance, comfort or confidence in the quality of the scan. Patients consulted during the development of the study emphasised that faster access must not come at the expense of human contact or clinical quality.
The findings could provide a practical model for using AI in community diagnostic centres across the NHS. By increasing capacity within existing staffing and clinic hours, the approach could help reduce waiting times, support earlier treatment and lessen the repetitive workload placed on specialist staff.