title: Clinical pathways for acute coronary syndromes in China: protocol for a hospital quality improvement initiative.
abstract: Clinical pathways have been shown to be effective in improving quality of care for patients admitted to hospital for acute coronary syndromes (ACS) in high-income countries. However, their utility has not formally been evaluated in low- or middle-income countries. The Clinical Pathways for Acute Coronary Syndromes in China program is a 7-year study with the overall goal of reducing evidence-practice gaps in the management of patients admitted to hospitals in China with suspected ACS. The program comprises 2 phases: a prospective survey of current management of ACS patients to identify the areas that evidence-based patient care can be potentially improved, and a quality care initiative to maximize the use of evidence-based investigations and treatments for ACS patients in China. In this article, we outline the details of the study protocol, including key aspects of the development, implementation, and evaluation of the quality improvement initiative (clinical pathway) for management of patients with suspected ACS.
authors.affiliation: George Institute for Global Health, The University of Sydney, Missenden Road, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Rong
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Turnbull
authors.forename: Anushka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Yangfeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Runlin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D054058:Acute Coronary Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D001315:Australia; D002681:China; D019091:Critical Pathways / Q000592:standards*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006761:Hospitals / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D058996:Quality Improvement / Q000592:standards*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors