Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33739936›Full record

ArticleEcho research and practice2021

Impact of COVID-19 on UK stress echocardiography practice: insights from the EVAREST sites.

Cameron Dockerill, William Woodward, Annabelle McCourt, Cristiana Monteiro, Elena Benedetto, Maria Paton, David Oxborough, Shaun Robinson, Keith Pearce, Mark J Monaghan and 2 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Echo research and practice, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 39% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors at 7 institutions in 1 country.

Cameron DockerillCardiovascular Clinical Research Facility, RDM Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-0153-3389
William WoodwardCardiovascular Clinical Research Facility, RDM Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Annabelle McCourtCardiovascular Clinical Research Facility, RDM Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Cristiana MonteiroCardiovascular Clinical Research Facility, RDM Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Elena BenedettoCardiovascular Clinical Research Facility, RDM Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Maria PatonSchool of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
David OxboroughCardiovascular Physiology, School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool, UK.
Shaun RobinsonNorth West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, Bretton Gate, Bretton, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Keith PearceManchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Wythenshawe Hospital, Wythenshawe, Manchester, UK.
Mark J MonaghanKing's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Denmark Hill, London, UK.
Daniel X AugustineRoyal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Bath, UK.
Paul LeesonCardiovascular Clinical Research Facility, RDM Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
University of Oxford · GBCambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust · GBEnglish Institute of Sport · GBKing's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust · GBManchester University NHS Foundation Trust · GBUniversity of Bath · GBUniversity of Leeds · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionHealthcare delivery is being transformed by COVID-19 to reduce transmission risk but continued delivery of routine clinical tests is essential. Stress echocardiography is one of the most widely used cardiac tests in the NHS. We assessed the impact of the first (W1) and second (W2) waves of the pandemic on the ability to deliver stress echocardiography.

methodsClinical echocardiography teams in 31 NHS hospitals participating in the EVAREST study were asked to complete a survey on the structure and delivery of stress echocardiography as well as its impact on patients and staff in July and November 2020. Results were compared to stress echocardiography activity in the same centre during January 2020.

results24 completed the survey in July, and 19 NHS hospitals completed the survey in November. A 55% reduction in the number of studies performed was reported in W1, recovering to exceed pre-COVID rates in W2. The major change was in the mode of stress delivery. 70% of sites stopped their exercise stress service in W1, compared to 19% in W2. In those still using exercise during W1, 50% were wearing FFP3/N95 masks, falling to 38% in W2. There was also significant variability in patient screening practices with 7 different pre-screening questionnaires used in W1 and 6 in W2.

conclusionStress echocardiography delivery restarted effectively after COVID-19 with adaptations to reduce transmission that means activity has been able to continue, and exceed, pre-COVID-19 levels during the second wave. Further standardization of protocols for patient screening and PPE may help further improve consistency of practice within the United Kingdom.

Indexed as

coronary artery diseaseCOVID-19ischaemic heart diseasenational health servicesstress echocardiographysurvey

Identifiers

PMID33739936
PMCPMC8111306
OpenAlexW3136135505

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.