New Tool Improves Processes, Streamlines Operations.
A one-page tool has shown promise for facilitating shared decision-making between clinicians and patients who present to the ED with low-risk chest pain. The tool, dubbed Chest Pain Choice, was developed by researchers at the Mayo Clinic. It is designed to more effectively communicate risk to patients so that they can make more informed decisions with their providers regarding treatment options. Investigators devised a study involving 898 low-risk chest pain patients in six EDs in five states. Half the patients were randomized to standard physician consultations and half received consultations facilitated by the Chest Pain Choice tool. A post clinical encounter questionnaire testing patient knowledge showed that patients in the intervention group answered 53% of the questions-correctly vs. 44.9% in the group receiving standard physician consultations. When asked to evaluate their experience of discussing their care with the physician, 68.9% of patients who experienced the decision aid said they would recommend the method used during their discussions while 61.2% of the patients receiving standard consultations recommended the method used in their cases. Researchers noted that patients who discussed their risks using the decision aid tool were substantially less inclined to opt for admission to an ED observation unit for stress testing than patients who received standard physician consultations.
D002637:Chest Pain; D003657:Decision Making; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D006801:Humans; D010353:Patient Education as Topic