title: Clinical decision-making of cardiologists regarding admission and treatment of patients with suspected unstable angina or non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction: protocol of a clinical vignette study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiologists face the difficult task of rapidly distinguishing cardiac-related chest pain from other conditions, and to thoroughly consider whether invasive diagnostic procedures or treatments are indicated. The use of cardiac risk-scoring instruments has been recommended in international cardiac guidelines. However, it is unknown to what degree cardiac risk scores and other clinical information influence cardiologists' decision-making. This paper describes the development of a binary choice experiment using realistic descriptions of clinical cases. The study aims to determine the importance cardiologists put on different types of clinical information, including cardiac risk scores, when deciding on the management of patients with suspected unstable angina or non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cardiologists were asked, in a nationwide survey, to weigh different clinical factors in decision-making regarding patient admission and treatment using realistic descriptions of patients in which specific characteristics are varied in a systematic way (eg, web-based clinical vignettes). These vignettes represent patients with suspected unstable angina or non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Associations between several clinical characteristics, with cardiologists' management decisions, will be analysed using generalised linear mixed models.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The study has received ethics approval and informed consent will be obtained from all participating cardiologists. The results of the study will provide insight into the relative importance of cardiac risk scores and other clinical information in cardiac decision-making. Further, the results indicate cardiologists' adherence to the European Society of Cardiology guideline recommendations. In addition, the detailed description of the method of vignette development applied in this study could assist other researchers or clinicians in creating future choice experiments.
authors: Department of Public and Occupational Health, VU University Medical Center, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: Josien
authors: J
authors: Engel
authors: Department of Public and Occupational Health, VU University Medical Center, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: Ineke
authors: I
authors: van der Wulp
authors: Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary care, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors: Judith M
authors: JM
authors: Poldervaart
authors: Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary care, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors: Johannes B
authors: JB
authors: Reitsma
authors: Department of Public and Occupational Health, VU University Medical Center, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: Martine C
authors: MC
authors: de Bruijne
authors: Department of Public and Occupational Health, VU University Medical Center, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands NIVEL, Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors: Cordula
authors: C
authors: Wagner
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000066491:Clinical Decision-Making; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D003663:Decision Trees; D019468:Disease Management; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: acute coronary syndromes; case scenarios; decision making; risk assesment