Introduction
Open-access echocardiography is increasingly available to general practitioners (GPs) across the UK.1 It is valued by GPs2,3 and may reduce waiting times,4 however, patients’ perceptions and impact on diagnosis of open-access echocardiography have not been previously reported.
We assessed the views of 111 patients referred with suspected heart failure at one-year follow-up in terms of satisfaction with open-access echocardiography, ongoing symptoms and personal health beliefs. Patients were contacted between October 2004 and January 2005.
Results
Despite the use of a structured referral form and pre-test electrocardiogram (ECG)
