Aim
Eduction campaign to ensure clinical pathways reflect the evidence-based capabilities of the new assay, by allowing compression of serial testing timepoints for patients presenting to Queensland Health EDs with suspected ACS, ultimately aiming to reduce total hospital Length Of Stay (LOS) and hospital admissions. To ensure patient safety by correct clinical interpretation of the new assay.
Benefits
Introduction of the new assay had significant implications on the assessment of patients presenting with suspected ACS. It allowed accelerated patient care by compressing serial Troponin testing timepoints, resulting in reduced median total hospital length of stay and fewer chest pain inpatient admissions. More importantly, the new assay required distinctly different interpretation to the preceding assay and the education campaign conducted by the ACRE Project team helped ensure appropriate clinical interpretation, thereby maximising patient safety.
Background
The ACRE project team conducted a multi-modal education campaign to facilitate implementation of new suspected ACS clinical pathways to hospitals across Queensland following the October 2018 introduction of a new high-sensitivity cardiac Troponin assay (hsTnI) blood test to all Queensland Health Hospitals.
