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National data elements for the clinical management of acute coronary syndromes
Author(s) -
Chew Derek P B,
Allan Roger M,
Aroney Constantine N,
Sheerin Noella J
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2005.tb06801.x
Subject(s) - medicine , observational study , intensive care medicine , acute coronary syndrome , clinical practice , risk stratification , health care , medline , data quality , medical emergency , family medicine , pathology , myocardial infarction , operations management , political science , law , economics , economic growth , metric (unit)
Patients with acute coronary syndromes represent a clinically diverse group and their care remains heterogeneous. These patients account for a significant burden of morbidity and mortality in Australia. Optimal patient outcomes depend on rapid diagnosis, accurate risk stratification and the effective implementation of proven therapies, as advocated by clinical guidelines. The challenge is in effectively applying evidence in clinical practice. Objectivity and standardised quantification of clinical practice are essential in understanding the evidence–practice gap. Observational registries are key to understanding the link between evidence‐based medicine, clinical practice and patient outcome. Data elements for monitoring clinical management of patients with acute coronary syndromes have been adapted from internationally accepted definitions and incorporated into the National Health Data Dictionary, the national standard for health data definitions in Australia. Widespread use of these data elements will assist in the local development of “quality‐of‐care” initiatives and performance indicators, facilitate collaboration in cardiovascular outcomes research, and aid in the development of electronic data collection methods.