Despite this remarkable achievement, heart disease remains the leading cause of death among adults in the United States. Each year, an estimated 1.25 million people will have heart attacks, and 500,000 will die. Although critical pathways are not new, they represent a new system of patient-care management in the ED setting. They provide emergency caregivers with a tool for outcome-based care, enhancing the achievement of clinical outcomes while conserving valuable resources.3 Critical pathways facilitate shared decision making by providing a foundation for physicians and nurses to mediate patient care management issues. There are several factors that impact the delivery of care to the potential AMI patient.
Time delays are a major dilemma.
Mild chest discomfort may be ignored by the patient, thus causing delay in seeking treatment until the discomfort worsens. There also may be misconceptions regarding mild symptoms on the part of the emergency caregivers. A certain priority must be designated for patients experiencing chest pain. Utilizing a focused, team approach to these patients will improve the delivery of care and should reduce time delays. Treatment and diagnostic decisions will be determined by this team before the patient arrives at the hospital.