TY - JOUR
T1 - Effect of gender on evidence-based practice for Australian patients with acute coronary syndrome
T2 - A retrospective multi-site study
AU - Kuhn, Lisa
AU - Page, Karen
AU - Street, Maryann
AU - Rolley, John
AU - Considine, Julie
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 College of Emergency Nursing Australasia
PY - 2017/5
Y1 - 2017/5
N2 - BACKGROUND: Early acute coronary syndrome (ACS) care occurs in the emergency department (ED). Death and disability from ACS are reduced with access to evidence-based ACS care. In this study, we aimed to explore if gender influenced access to ACS care.METHODS: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted for 288 (50% women, n=144) randomly selected adults with ACS admitted via the ED to three tertiary public hospitals in Victoria, Australia from 1.1.2013 to 30.6.2015.RESULTS: Compared with men, women were older (79 vs 75.5 years; p=0.009) less often allocated triage category 2 (58.3 vs 71.5%; p=0.026) and waited longer for their first electrocardiograph (18.5 vs 15min; p=0.001). Fewer women were admitted to coronary care units (52.4 vs 65.3%; p=0.023), but were more often admitted to general medicine units (39.6 vs 22.9%; p=0.003) than men. The median length of stay was 4days for both genders, but women were admitted for significantly more bed days than men (IQR 3-7 vs 2-5; p=0.005).CONCLUSIONS: There were a number of gender differences in ED care for ACS and women were at greater risk of variation from evidence-based guidelines. Further research is needed to understand why gender differences exist in ED ACS care.
AB - BACKGROUND: Early acute coronary syndrome (ACS) care occurs in the emergency department (ED). Death and disability from ACS are reduced with access to evidence-based ACS care. In this study, we aimed to explore if gender influenced access to ACS care.METHODS: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted for 288 (50% women, n=144) randomly selected adults with ACS admitted via the ED to three tertiary public hospitals in Victoria, Australia from 1.1.2013 to 30.6.2015.RESULTS: Compared with men, women were older (79 vs 75.5 years; p=0.009) less often allocated triage category 2 (58.3 vs 71.5%; p=0.026) and waited longer for their first electrocardiograph (18.5 vs 15min; p=0.001). Fewer women were admitted to coronary care units (52.4 vs 65.3%; p=0.023), but were more often admitted to general medicine units (39.6 vs 22.9%; p=0.003) than men. The median length of stay was 4days for both genders, but women were admitted for significantly more bed days than men (IQR 3-7 vs 2-5; p=0.005).CONCLUSIONS: There were a number of gender differences in ED care for ACS and women were at greater risk of variation from evidence-based guidelines. Further research is needed to understand why gender differences exist in ED ACS care.
KW - Acute coronary syndrome
KW - Emergency department
KW - Emergency nursing
KW - Evidence-based practice
KW - Myocardial infarction
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85014110805&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.aenj.2017.02.002
DO - 10.1016/j.aenj.2017.02.002
M3 - Article
C2 - 28262562
SN - 1574-6267
VL - 20
SP - 63
EP - 68
JO - Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal
JF - Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal
IS - 2
ER -