Due to the design of the study consisting of a retrospective case-record evaluation, Institutional Review Board approval and the need for informed consent was waived according to Dutch law.
All patients who provided their written informed consent and who completed the case report form (including a medical record evaluation, a self-assessment questionnaire, and an interview and a clinical examination) were included in the study.
Based on questionnaires, case record forms, and focus group discussions, the overall evaluation of the GPs participating in the evaluation study regarding the recommendations made in the chest pain guideline, was positive.
All evaluation items were recorded in a case record form.
Physicians' evaluation of the guideline was assessed via standardized questionnaires and case record forms.
To guarantee a blinded evaluation for study purposes, ultrasound was performed first and documented in the case record form.
Patients had a daily evaluation including: clinical and obstetric examination, drug administration and recording of subjective and objective side effects on a case record form.
Socio-demographic and anamnestic data, life habits, reason for hospital admission, referring person, clinical evaluations, concomitant diseases, previous and ongoing psychiatric treatment, admission and discharge diagnoses and treatments administered in SPDC were recorded on case record forms [ 10].
Daily evaluation (for the first seven days), including clinical (temperature, pulse, blood pressure) and parasitologic examinations, drug administration, and recording of side effects (on days 0, 1, 2, 3, and 7) in a case record form were performed.
At baseline 111 case records were available for evaluation across the 8 hospitals.
