Crit Pathw Cardiol. 2021 Dec 1;20(4):185-191. doi: 10.1097/HPC.0000000000000258.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: This study examines the feasibility and utility of integrating coronary computed tomography angiography and the HEART Pathway into a novel accelerated diagnostic protocol-called HEART-CT-and assesses its impact as an optional interactive decision support tool (smart form) in the electronic health record.
METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study performed in 2 adult emergency departments (ED) among patients evaluated for suspected acute coronary syndrome. Primary outcomes included the rate of discharge from the ED following HEART-CT Smart Form use, 30-day major adverse cardiac events (MACE), and ED length of stay (LOS). Hypothesis-generating outcomes included the rate of Smart Form use by ED providers and whether adhering to the HEART-CT recommendations was associated with improved outcomes.
RESULTS: The study included 672 subjects, 78.1% of whom were discharged from the ED. HEART-CT identified 76.7% of patients with increased risk HEAR scores as safe for discharge. No patients identified as low risk by HEART-CT had MACE within 30 days. Total mean ED LOS was 4.6 hours. ED providers used the HEART-CT smart form in 19.7% of eligible patients. ED providers who followed the HEART-CT recommendations had 3.41 times higher odds of ED discharging patients with increased risk HEAR scores than nonadherent providers (95% CI, 2.20-5.27).
CONCLUSIONS: HEART-CT reclassified a large proportion of patients as safe for discharge, maintained a high sensitivity for detecting 30-day MACE, and had an acceptable ED LOS. Future studies should test the extent to which more automated clinical decision support improves provider adoption and clinical outcomes of HEART-CT.
PMID:33660627 | PMC:PMC8408286 | DOI:10.1097/HPC.0000000000000258