What is Project ECHO?
Project ECHO is an innovative telementoring program designed to create virtual
communities of learners by bringing together healthcare providers and subject
matter experts using videoconference technology, brief lecture presentations,
and case-based learning, fostering an “all learn, all teach” approach. Participants
are engaged in the bi-directional virtual knowledge network by sharing clinical
challenges and learning from experts and peers.
Project ECHO has been recognized globally as a successful tool to improve patient care outcomes. Unlike telemedicine, this tele-mentoring model does not foster a health care provider and patient relationship. ECHO follows these four key principles:
Subscribes to the disease management model of care that aims to improve quality, reduce variety, and standardize best practices.
Fosters multidisciplinary partnerships that increase access to care and reduce health care costs.
Engages health care providers to participate in case‐based learning under guided practice to provide specialized care to their own patients.
Utilizes technology to promote face-to-face mentorship and sharing of knowledge and experience by experts and peers without the need for cost-intensive supervision, in-person trainings, and travel.
Published data demonstrates that patients who received care from providers mentored using the ECHO methodology had outcomes as good or better than those treated at specialized referral hospitals, which has largely been credited to leveraging the patient‐centered medical home model.
There are currently over 300 hubs worldwide in more than 37 countries on nearly 72 diseases
and conditions.
How is the AAP involved?
The AAP serves as an ECHO Superhub, training and supporting partner organizations (hubs). The mission of the AAP ECHO Superhub is to utilize the ECHO model to achieve optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being of all children by sharing best practices and building capacity among all pediatric providers. In this capacity, we:
Conduct ECHO immersion trainings for individuals and organizations interested in implementing pediatric-focused ECHOs
Build a community of learners by fostering interprofessional collaboration and sharing best practices in pediatric care
Serve as a resource center, whereby AAP staff
Provide technical assistance
Assist with curriculum development for various chronic health conditions
Create and expand partnerships
Furthermore, the AAP has leveraged the ECHO model to implement a variety of pediatric-specific conditions such as, school-based mental health, trauma informed care, epilepsy, HPV vaccination to enhance workforce capacity and standardize best practices. The AAP ECHO Superhub offers Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits and Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Part 2 and 4.
In the last five years, the AAP has:
Trained more than 40 organizations
Supported dozens of pediatric ECHO programs
Launched more than 10 AAP ECHO programs
Assisted organizations with the centralization of ECHO efforts within academic institutions, country health systems, and state programs
If you are interested in getting involved, click here.
To learn about the various AAP ECHO topics, click
here.
Additional Information: