Medical decision making : an international journal of the Society for Medical Decision Making
-
Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
The impact of unstable angina guidelines in the triage of emergency department patients with possible acute coronary syndrome.
The primary aim of this study is to determine whether implementing the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) Unstable Angina Practice Guideline improves emergency physician's decision making in patients with symptoms of possible acute coronary syndrome (ACS), including those for whom the diagnosis of unstable angina is uncertain. ⋯ Implementation of the AHCPR guideline did not improve triage decisions in emergency department patients with possible ACS. Assessing physician triage solely based on concordance with the AHCPR guideline may not accurately reflect the quality of patient care.