Info on normal test results reassures patients

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In a study of patients being evaluated for chest pain, discussing the meaning of normal test results prior to the test -- in this case, exercise stress testing -- increased rates of reassurance and reduced the likelihood that the patient would report chest pain in the future.

The findings, which appear in the British Medical Journal, are based on a study of 92 patients. Dr. K. J. Petrie of Auckland City Hospital in New Zealand, and colleagues, randomly assigned the patients to receive standard information prior to stress testing; a pamphlet describing the function of the test and the meaning of normal results; or a pamphlet plus a brief discussion regarding normal results.

A 5-item scale was used to assess patient reassurance immediately after the test and 1 month later. In addition, the researchers also recorded the proportion of patients who still had chest pain and those still using cardiac medications after 1 month.

The pamphlet-plus-discussion group had significantly higher reassurance scores just after the test and 1 month later compared with the other two groups.

In both the pamphlet-plus-discussion group and the pamphlet-only group, the proportion of patients reporting chest pain at 1 month dropped off significantly, whereas no change occurred in the standard information group. There was also some evidence that the pamphlet-plus-discussion intervention helped reduce cardiac drug use at 1 month.

"The implication of the study for (doctors) is that an increase in patients' reassurance after clinical testing can be expected if more time is spent explaining the meaning of normal test results before the test," the authors conclude. Still, these findings are from a small study and, therefore, confirmation in a larger study is needed, they add.

SOURCE: British Medical Journal, January 26th online issue, 2007.