27th September 2022
Raising awareness of heart health
Thursday 29 September 2022 is World Heart Day. Created and run by the World Heart Federation, the day aims to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease, risk factors and prevention, alongside encouraging people globally to take part in activities to improve their heart health.
World Heart Day podcasts
This year, to support the campaign and help raise awareness, we’ve created a series of podcasts, including a podcast with one of our partner organisations, the British Society of Echocardiography. Click here to view the podcasts.
Partnering with the British Society of Echocardiography
Speaking of the partnership, Dr Linda Edwards, Chief Executive of Education for Health, said:
“We are delighted to be working in partnership with colleagues at the British Society of Echocardiography. Our common interests in the provision of high quality education and commitment to improving the quality of care, provide strong foundations for an enduring partnership.
“Never has it been more important to ensure that healthcare professionals have the knowledge and know-how they need to tackle the health challenges of today. Together with BSE, we are supporting healthcare professionals to create sustainable models of practice, building their confidence and competence, which ultimately leads to better health outcomes.”
Jo Sopala, Chief Executive Officer, British Society of Echocardiography, added:
“The British Society of Echocardiography is delighted to be partnering with Education for Health on this podcast. We recognise that patients waiting for diagnostic tests can often feel left in limbo. As a result of the pandemic the backlog for echocardiograms is unacceptably long but not everyone referred for an echo will benefit. Anecdotally we hear of centre audits finding approximately 30% of referrals from primary care do not meet established referral guidelines. This adds to waiting lists but most importantly prolongs waiting times for patients and may in some cases delay referral for more appropriate diagnostics or starting treatment.
“This discussion will focus on situations relevant to primary care where an echocardiogram is likely to be of low clinical yield and will be led by Dr Andrew Potter, GP with a special interest in echo and Dr Tom Ingram, Consultant Cardiologist.”
The joint podcast with the British Society of Echocardiography, and the other podcasts in the World Heart Day series, are available to listen to on our website.
Further resources
We provide a range of courses focusing on Cardiovascular health and Heart Failure, including higher education courses accredited by the University of Hertfordshire and CPD accredited bite sized training.