Integration of outpatient consultation and inpatient care in interventional vascular radiology units: SERVEI position statement.

What was once a technical discipline, interventional vascular radiology (IVR) has now developed into a patient-centred clinical-surgical speciality. The integration of outpatient consultation and inpatient care within IVR units enhances safety, improves clinical outcomes and consolidates the speciality's role within the healthcare system. However, barriers such as lack of time, resources and recognition hinder its implementation. This SERVEI position statement defines the core principles of clinical care in IVR, examines the legal frameworks underpinning it and identifies viable models for hospitalisation, ranging from day units to dedicated inpatient wards. Progressive levels of healthcare provision are proposed, and an organisational model based on homogeneous functional groups (HFGs) is advocated to achieve greater efficiency and visibility. Outpatient consultation plays a central role in accreditation, the training of future specialists and the sustainability of the speciality in an evolving healthcare landscape.