Impact of a chest-pain guideline on clinical decision-making

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a chest-pain guideline on clinical decision-making and medium-term outcomes of patients presenting to a hospital emergency department (ED) with non-traumatic chest pain. Design: Before-and-after guideline implementation study. Setting: Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital, Sydney, NSW (454-bed metropolitan teaching hospital), in the six-month periods before and after guideline implementation in February 2001. Participants: Patients presenting to the ED with non-traumatic chest pain who had chest-pain assessment forms completed by ED doctors, comprising 422/768 (54.9%) of those presenting before and 461/691 (66.7%) after guideline implementation. Main outcome measures: Appropriateness of admission/discharge decisions compared with decision of senior cardiologist based on guideline; death, recurrent chest pain, ED re-presentation and hospital readmission in the ensuing three months. Results: After guideline implementation, appropriate admission/discharge decisions increased significantly from 180/265 (68%) to 261/324 (81%) (difference, 13%; 95% Cl, 6%-20%). The largest increase was for patients at moderate risk of death or acute myocardial infarction within six months, from 39/96 (38%) to 57/103 (55%) (difference, 18%; 95% Cl, 4%-31%). Increases were seen for both junior doctors (interns and resident medical officers) (18%; 95% Cl, 7%-30%) and senior doctors (11%; 95% Cl, 2%-19%). Logistic regression showed that implementation of the guideline, seniority of assessing doctor and patient history of coronary disease were independent predictors of appropriate decisions. There was a significant decline in re-presentations to ED with recurrent chest pain in patients previously presenting with cardiac or possibly cardiac pain, from 46/201 (23%) before implementation to 32/247 (13%) after (difference, - 10%; 95% Cl, - 11% to - 3%). Conclusions: The chest-pain guideline resulted in a significant improvement in clinical decision-making in the ED and reduced re-presentations with cardiac/possibly cardiac chest pain.