ACEP CHEST PAIN POLICY - EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN AWARENESS

Study objective: To assess emergency physician knowledge of and effect on clinical practice of the ACEP ''Clinical Policy for Management of Adult Patients Presenting With a Chief Complaint of Chest Pain, With N o History of Trauma. Methods: We conducted a written survey of attendi ng physicians by mail and in person at emergency medicine meetings. Re sidents were surveyed at their academic departments. The survey recipi ents were emergency physicians and residents from university, communit y teaching, urban, and rural hospitals. Results: Of the 338 surveyed p hysicians, 163 (48%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 43% to 54%) said th at they were aware of the policy. Fifty-four percent of ACEP members s aid they were aware of the policy, compared with 24% of nonmembers. Of the physicians who said they were aware of the policy, 63% did not kn ow that the policy contains rules. Seventy-one percent of the physicia ns who were aware of the policy incorrectly believed the policy requir es treatment with thrombolytic therapy in certain cases of myocardial infarction. Physicians said they learned about the policy by reading i t (42%), by word of mouth (16%), or in department/quality-assurance me etings (13%). Twelve percent of physicians believe the policy has chan ged their clinical practice. Conclusion: Fewer than half the emergency physicians we surveyed were aware of the policy. Of the physicians wh o said they had been aware of the policy, most did not know important specifics of the policy.