title: Clinical standards.
abstract: The primary motivating force for standards development by emergency physicians has been the desire to establish an acceptable level of care within the specialty, followed by the growing emphasis on quality assessment and quality improvement, the measurement of which requires an existing standard of care. This article examines the process of developing clinical standards and the implication such standards will have on the practice of emergency medicine. The ACEP clinical policy for the management of chest pain is presented in depth.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medical Services, Denver General Hospital, Colorado.
authors.forename: S V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Cantrill
mesh_terms: D002637:Chest Pain / Q000209:etiology; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008318:Malpractice; D014481:United States