The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) has released an official position statement aimed at providing recommendations to minimise the potential risks involved with medical proctoring.
The document, “SCAI position statement on best practices for clinical proctoring of new technologies and techniques,” was published in the Journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (JSCAI).
Clinical proctoring is the culmination of an educational process to disseminate new technologies and procedures in the cath lab. Operators seeking privileges after they have completed training are proctored, or monitored by an experienced peer, while performing the procedure for which privileges are requested.
“This document addresses a process that has been integral to advancing the skillsets of interventional cardiologists,” stated Sunil Rao (Duke University, Durham, USA), chair of the writing group and SCAI president-elect. “It is focused on protecting patients and interventionalists and ensuring the best outcomes for all stakeholders.”
As new technologies and approaches to care emerge in the field of interventional cardiology, this position statement recommends best practices to reduce the potential for adverse events, misunderstandings, conflicts of interest, and unexpected medicolegal liability, SCAI said in a press release.
Writing group vice-chair Arnold Seto (University of California, Irvine, USA), added: “Some patients, operators, and proctors approach the proctored procedure as though nothing can go wrong, whereas new procedures with new operators and facilities have some inherent risks. This document will help set expectations for all parties and support effective communication, preparation, and oversight of the proctoring experience.
“Critically, it explores the legal limitations of what proctors can and cannot do without obtaining separate medical liability coverage, staff privileges, and a medical license.”
The document further explains the role of professional societies, stating the importance of societies collaborating with industry partners to define, endorse, and certify qualification criteria for proctors and trainees. The position statement will be presented during the SCAI/ACC Joint Symposium at ACC.22 (2–4 April, Washington DC, USA).
