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Weekend and holiday exercise testing in patients with chest pain
R A Krasuski1, L H Hartley, T H Lee
1Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass, USA.
Journal of General Internal Medicine
|January 20, 1999
Summary
Weekend and holiday exercise treadmill testing is safe and effective for patients with chest pain, reducing hospital stays and saving costs. This diagnostic approach offers valuable risk stratification before hospital discharge.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Diagnostic Testing
- Healthcare Economics
Background:
- Exercise treadmill testing is a standard diagnostic tool for cardiac conditions.
- Evaluating the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of diagnostic testing during non-standard hours is crucial for healthcare resource management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the safety, outcomes, and cost-effectiveness of conducting exercise treadmill tests on weekends and holidays.
- To determine if off-peak testing impacts patient care and resource utilization.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of medical records for 195 patients undergoing weekend/holiday exercise treadmill testing.
- Telephone follow-up with 77.9% of patients to ascertain medical outcomes and subsequent healthcare utilization.
- Cost analysis based on estimated hospitalization days saved and incremental costs.
Main Results:
- No complications were reported during weekend/holiday exercise treadmill testing.
- For chest pain evaluations, 66.2% of tests were negative for ischemia.
- Same-day discharge was achieved in 84.6% of patients, resulting in an estimated 185 hospitalization days saved and cost savings.
Conclusions:
- Weekend and holiday exercise treadmill testing is a safe and effective method for risk stratification in patients presenting with chest pain.
- This testing modality leads to a reduced length of hospital stay and significant cost savings.
- The findings support the integration of exercise treadmill testing into non-standard working hours without compromising patient safety or care quality.