Health Informatics Journal (10/08/24) Joddrell, Phil; Manson, Jane; Taylor, Paul M.; et al.

Project Extension for Community Health Outcomes (Project ECHO) was first used to manage hepatitis C infection in rural New Mexico, using "telementoring" for non-specialist clinicians. The model has since been applied to other areas and conditions, including at an independent U.K. hospice. An evaluation of the ECHO program at the hospice, located in the north of England, found a measured increase in attendance, programs, sessions, and hours of education, along with positive evaluations, over 6 years. The St. Luke's program started as a way to provide increased support for care homes in the area. A pilot program was launched in 2017 with the existing clinical team, but over the time the program expanded and eventually St. Luke's Hospice became the third "superhub" in the United Kingdom, designated by the ECHO Institute as centers of expertise. The facility then served as an ECHO delivery center and also a provider of training so other facilities could become hubs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Project ECHO was already in place at St. Luke's, allowing some existing palliative care training to continue and providing opportunities to share updates about the pandemic to primary care and care homes in the area. The findings support "existing evidence that Project ECHO is an effective method of delivering remote healthcare education, demonstrating impact on the first three levels of Moore's education framework; participation, satisfaction and learning," the researchers report. They note the program could expand in the future in terms of geography and subjects covered and also evaluation methods to provide further evidence of the impact of the ECHO program at St. Luke's.

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