Clinical Scorecard: Diagnostic Testing Does Not Influence Patient Experience in Common Pediatric Cardiology Referrals
At a Glance
Category
Detail
Condition
Patient and family experience during pediatric cardiology referrals for chest pain, dizziness/syncope, palpitations, or murmur
Key Mechanisms
Retrospective study assessing whether cardiac testing was associated with patient family experience survey scores
Target Population
Children completing new outpatient cardiology visits for chest pain, dizziness/syncope, palpitations, or murmur at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center from 2022 to 2023
Care Setting
Pediatric cardiology outpatient clinics at a single institution, including the main campus, satellite clinics, and outreach clinics
Key Highlights
Among 7,918 eligible visits, surveys were distributed to 7,080 families and 1,293 were completed; the overall response rate was 16%.
Provider ratings were top-box for 91% of completed surveys, with no significant difference by referral complaint (p = 0.09).
Individual cardiac tests were not associated with top-box experience scores; scores also did not vary significantly across the reported testing patterns (p = 0.31).
Experience scores were not significantly associated with follow-up recommendations, referral-to-visit interval, or clinic location.
Guideline-Based Recommendations
Diagnosis
Management
Monitoring & Follow-up
Risks
Patient & Prescribing Data
New pediatric cardiology referrals for chest pain, dizziness/syncope, palpitations, or murmur at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center from January 2022 through December 2023; encounters without associated patient family experience scores were excluded.
The study assessed ECG, echocardiography, exercise stress testing, and ambulatory monitoring. Individual tests were not associated with top-box experience scores, and scores did not vary significantly across the reported testing patterns.
Clinical Best Practices
The study reports associations between cardiac testing and patient family experience scores; it does not provide diagnostic or treatment recommendations.
