Ming-Wei Wang1, Yong-Ran Cheng2, Yong Zheng1, Juan Chen1, Ping Yu1, Zhi Zhang1, Wen-Tao Gan1, Min-Juan Wu1, Kai-Han Ren1, Fang Zhang1, Yu-Lin Chen1, Jun-Zhe Bao3, Zhan-Hui Feng4, Xing-Wei Zhang5. 1. Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Department of Cardioogy, Hangzhou, China. 2. Zhejiang Academy of Medical Sciences, Hangzhou, China. 3. Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China. 4. Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Department of Neurology, Guiyang, China. Electronic address: h9450203@126.com. 5. Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Department of Cardioogy, Hangzhou, China. Electronic address: hsdzxw@126.com.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Patient delay in the recognition of and response to the symptoms of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a worldwide problem. A community education program about chest pain was implemented in China, and was aimed at providing better community intervention. In this study, the impact of this program on the time of symptom onset to the first medical contact (SO-to-FMC) in ACS patients was investigated, as was the incidence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) in these patients. METHODS: A total of 10 local communities were included in this study. A 9-month intensive community education program about chest pain was conducted in these communities. The data on the demographics, mode of transportation, procedures, clinical outcomes, and discharge diagnoses of all ACS patients in these communities were collected. RESULTS: The study communities had a combined population of 361,609, and all community population sizes ranged from 12,823 to 66,127. The average SO-to-FMC time of the control period was 510 min, whereas, following community intervention, the average SO-to-FMC time was 256 min (P < 0.001). Furthermore, comparative analyses revealed that, following discharge from the hospital, the 1.5-year MACCE-free survival rate was higher in the community intervention group than in the control group (95.0 % vs. 90.5 %, P = 0.025), and the 1.5-year mortality rate was lower in the community intervention group than in the control group (3.3 % vs. 6.3 %, P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The Hangzhou Chest Pain Science Education Project(HCPSEP) was found to reduce the SO-to-FMC time and improve the outcome of ACS patients. This indicates that a scientific, educational program on chest pain can be effective in improving the knowledge and alertness of the local residents about chest pain. This type of program may be recognized and carried out in other regions.
OBJECTIVE:Patient delay in the recognition of and response to the symptoms of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a worldwide problem. A community education program about chest pain was implemented in China, and was aimed at providing better community intervention. In this study, the impact of this program on the time of symptom onset to the first medical contact (SO-to-FMC) in ACSpatients was investigated, as was the incidence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) in these patients. METHODS: A total of 10 local communities were included in this study. A 9-month intensive community education program about chest pain was conducted in these communities. The data on the demographics, mode of transportation, procedures, clinical outcomes, and discharge diagnoses of all ACSpatients in these communities were collected. RESULTS: The study communities had a combined population of 361,609, and all community population sizes ranged from 12,823 to 66,127. The average SO-to-FMC time of the control period was 510 min, whereas, following community intervention, the average SO-to-FMC time was 256 min (P < 0.001). Furthermore, comparative analyses revealed that, following discharge from the hospital, the 1.5-year MACCE-free survival rate was higher in the community intervention group than in the control group (95.0 % vs. 90.5 %, P = 0.025), and the 1.5-year mortality rate was lower in the community intervention group than in the control group (3.3 % vs. 6.3 %, P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The Hangzhou Chest Pain Science Education Project(HCPSEP) was found to reduce the SO-to-FMC time and improve the outcome of ACSpatients. This indicates that a scientific, educational program on chest pain can be effective in improving the knowledge and alertness of the local residents about chest pain. This type of program may be recognized and carried out in other regions.