To evaluate whether cardiac testing is associated with patient and family experience (PFE) scores during pediatric cardiology visits for common referral complaints.
Approach:
Design and population: Retrospective review of new cardiology visits at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center from January 2022 through December 2023 for chest pain, dizziness/syncope, palpitations, or murmur.
Measures and analysis: Linked clinical data with post-visit PFE surveys. Compared top-box ratings by complaint, testing, follow-up recommendation, wait interval, and clinic location using univariate and multivariable analyses.
Key Findings:
Of 7,918 eligible visits, 1,293 surveys were completed; the response rate was 16%.
Overall, 91% of survey respondents gave top-box provider ratings; rates ranged from 89% for chest pain to 93% for murmur, with no significant difference by complaint (p = 0.09).
Individual cardiac tests and testing patterns were not significantly associated with top-box PFE scores (testing-pattern comparison p = 0.31).
PFE scores were not significantly associated with follow-up recommendations, referral-to-visit interval, or clinic location.
Multivariable analyses identified no independent predictors of top-box PFE scores.
Interpretation:
In this cohort, cardiac testing intensity was not associated with patient and family experience scores. The authors report that testing is unlikely to be a primary determinant of experience during these visits.
Limitations:
The survey response rate was 16%, so results reflect the families who completed surveys.
The study was retrospective and conducted at a single institution.
Investigators linked distinct odor patterns to life stage, sex, and skin microbes, while limited longitudinal evidence leaves their clinical utility uncertain.
