Echo training for rural generalists

Course Aims

• To provide a theoretical and practical foundation for the acquisition and interpretation of bedside echocardiography tailored for the rural and remote clinicians.
• To enable rural and remote clinicians to add basic echocardiography to their bedside clinical assessment of patients

Course Curriculum and learning outcomes

• An approach to basic echocardiography

o The role of bedside echo in rural and remote practice

o Physics of echo – what you need to know

o Understanding your echo machine – Button-ology & hand-held scanners o Image acquisition and optimisation

o Common echo windows

o Different modes of echo

o Echo Artifacts

o Trouble shooting, common errors and limitations of echo

• Cardiac anatomy and physiology as it relates to echocardiography

o Understanding normal cardiac anatomy and physiology

o What echo can and can’t demonstrate

o Assessment of ventricular structure and function, atrial structure and

associated anatomy including pericardium, aorta & vena-cava o Assessment of valvular structure and function

• Common and relevant cardiac pathologies

o Left ventricular systolic dysfunction – regional vs global and severity

o Pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade

o Common valvular pathologies – identifying severe & clinically relevant

disease

o Spotlight on rheumatic heart disease – acute valvulitis, chronic valvular

dysfunction and screening of sub-clinical disease

o Assessment of the right heart and its relation to cardiac and non-cardiac

pathology

o Assessment of inferior vena-cava and fluid status

Accreditation: This workshop is pending accreditation with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine for continuing professional development hours for the 2023-2025 triennium.

This education workshop is proudly delivered by Rural Health West in partnership with WA Country Health Service through the Better Medical Care Initiative.

Expressions of interest here