Rapid access cardiology--a nine year review

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Healthcare Services Research

Background:

• Rapid access cardiology clinics offer timely assessment for chest pain, heart failure, and arrhythmia.
• Longitudinal data on clinic attendances and diagnoses are limited, impacting understanding of their efficiency and primary care referral role.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze longitudinal data on attendances and diagnoses at rapid access cardiology clinics.
• To evaluate the efficiency and role of these secondary care services for primary care referrals.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of attendance and diagnosis data from Charing Cross Hospital's rapid access clinics.
• Data collected from April 2002 to March 2011 by nurse specialists and physicians.

Main Results:

• 12,000 patients were seen over 9 years.
• Increased demand for chest pain and arrhythmia clinics since 2007; stable demand for heart failure clinics.
• Atrial fibrillation was the most common arrhythmia (15%); no significant change in the proportion of patients diagnosed with significant cardiac disease.

Conclusions:

• Referral rates indicate high demand for rapid access cardiology services.
• The model, based in secondary care, is efficient and accessible for general practitioners and patients.
• Despite trends towards primary care, this secondary care model remains effective in the local area.