The role of Clinical Valve Coordinators: a clinical consensus statement of the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiac Interventions and the Association of Cardiovascular Nursing & Allied Professions of the ESC

Abstract Background Transcatheter options are increasingly available for the treatment of valvular heart disease. The role of the clinical valve co-ordinator is ideally positioned to improve access to care, quality of outcomes, and patient experiences, contribute to efficiencies, and support the growing number of heart valve centres. International societies and guidelines recommend the inclusion of the clinical valve co-ordinator in multidisciplinary Heart Teams to support patients, contribute unique expertise to team-based care, and help programmes expand access to care. The role of the clinical valve co-ordinator is unevenly adopted in Europe. Aims To provide guidance on developing, implementing, and sustaining the role of clinical valve co-ordinators to support patients and programmes. Methods and results We outline a comprehensive framework of the competencies and professional development aligned with the needs of patients with aortic, mitral, and tricuspid disease, discuss requirements for infrastructure and successful organizational integration in valvular heart disease teams and programmes, and propose preliminary indicators to measure role impact and address the current gap in evidence to guide role development across diverse regions. The clinical valve co-ordinator plays a vital role as a central member of the multidisciplinary team to support the care requirements of people with complex valvular heart disease in the rapidly evolving clinical context of treatment options and management strategies. Conclusion The document provides a roadmap for the development, implementation, and evaluation of a pan-European initiative to improve the delivery of valvular heart disease services and optimize the experience of care of patients and their family.