A health centre E.C.G. services: its use and abuse.
An average of 10-5 E.C.G.s were recorded weekly in a health centre used by 32 general practitioners serving a population of almost 65,000. The main indication for an E.C.G. was chest pain (73%). 47% of the E.C.G.s were abnormal. A change in clinical diagnosis occurred in 28% of cases and in patient management in 16%. A significant number of these changes were unwarranted, however. It is recommended that the E.C.G.s should be recorded by suitably trained nurses and reported by a specially trained general practitioner. Further education of general practitioners in the clinical use of the E.C.G. is required.
D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D003151:Community Health Centers; D003153:Community Health Services; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005194:Family Practice; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis; D012606:Scotland; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires