Overview

EchoLearn is a vendor-neutral, AI-powered software platform designed to strengthen workforce capability in echocardiography. Developed within the Intelligent Sensing and Vision (IntSaV) Group at the Translational Healthcare Research (THRIVE) Centre, University of West London, the platform provides structured, real-time acquisition feedback and longitudinal skill analytics to support training and supervised clinical practice.

EchoLearn builds upon research delivered through the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Programme Grant (RG/F/22/110059), UNITY: UK Collaborative for Integrating AI into Echocardiography.

The Challenge

Echocardiography remains highly operator-dependent. Training traditionally relies on intensive one-to-one supervision, while increasing patient demand and workforce pressures place strain on services.

Variability in acquisition quality and limited structured feedback can:

  • Prolong training pathways
  • Increase supervision burden on senior clinicians
  • Contribute to inter-operator variability
  • Lead to repeat scans due to suboptimal image acquisition

There is a need for scalable, objective tools that support skill development while maintaining existing care pathways.

The Solution

EchoLearn augments traditional training models with a digital quality-assurance layer. The platform provides:

  • Real-time view classification to support anatomical orientation
  • Structured acquisition quality scoring aligned with expert standards
  • Immediate feedback to enable on-the-spot correction
  • Automated session reports summarising performance
  • Longitudinal skill tracking dashboards to support competency assessment

EchoLearn is designed to support workforce development and supervised clinical environments. It does not provide diagnostic interpretation or automated clinical decision-making; clinical responsibility remains with the operator.

Strategic Impact & NHS Alignment

EchoLearn is aligned with national priorities, including:

  • Workforce development and capability uplift
  • Diagnostic recovery and service resilience
  • Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) and decentralised service delivery
  • National acquisition standards, including alignment with British Society of Echocardiography (BSE) guidance

By strengthening acquisition quality at the point of care, EchoLearn aims to improve consistency and efficiency within existing cardiac pathways.

Deployment Model

EchoLearn is designed for low-barrier deployment:

  • Vendor-neutral architecture
  • Operates on standard laptops
  • Compatible with existing ultrasound systems
  • No proprietary hardware required

This approach supports scalable evaluation and potential multi-site NHS deployment.

Current Status

EchoLearn has progressed beyond conceptual development and is grounded in clinically informed methodology. Clinical collaborators have contributed to defining acquisition standards and validating quality scoring frameworks.

Engagement with NHS stakeholders is ongoing to support structured pilot evaluation, governance alignment, and real-world evidence generation focused on workforce capability uplift.

Partnerships

  • Lead Institution: University of West London (THRIVE Centre)
  • Funding: British Heart Foundation (RG/F/22/110059)
  • Clinical Collaborators: NHS hospital partners (details available upon request)

Collaboration & Contact

We are currently seeking NHS Trust partners for structured clinical validation and pilot evaluation.

For enquiries contact: info@thrive-centre.com