Identifying Changes: Cardiac Cath Lab Referral Form

Cardiac Cath Lab Referral Form
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Innovative Practices
The cardiac catheterization procedure is one that involves the diagnosis and the treatment procedures of cardiac conditions. This is a very integral part of the treatment process and one that requires that the nurses and the cardiologists to be keen as a slight mistake during the procedure could easily complicate the rest of the operations. it is important that the right flow of the operations is followed to ensure that, the safety of the patient is maintained and the success of the process is guaranteed. Cardiac catheterization involves the use of a long thin tube which is referred to as the catheter and is usually inserted inside an artery or a vein in the neck, groin or even the arm and is then threaded through the patient’s blood vessels until it reaches the heart (National Institutes of Health, 2017). As such, it is a procedure that involved a number of risks and thus requires utmost care and skill to perform. Nurses and the cardiologists on call have to ensure the procedure is carried out by the most skilled practitioners on their team to enhance the chances of the patient’s health status and more importantly, to avoid the risks associated with the same. After the successful insertion of the catheter, the cardiologists are then in a position to carry out cardiac diagnostics. It is also important to note that, it is common for the cardiologists to treat some of the more common diseases using the catheter (American Heart Association, 2017). One of the diseases that are treated using this procedure is the coronary angioplasty. To ensure that the flow of operations is enhanced, there is need to address the element of the cath lab referral form. This is a crucial form as helps with the referral of the patient from the physician to the cardiologist for specialized treatments.
The Cath Referral Form is one that is part of the innovative measures in place to ensure the continuity of quality care. When a physician establishes that the patient they are caring for is in need of cardiac attention, they will fill the form to help with helping the patient get the best health care services. Whether the care to be offered is at the same hospital or in another facility, there is need for the form to be filled to make sure that all the details of the patient their health status is captured. Failure to do this could result in complications (British Heart Foundation, 2017).
The form should include the basic details of the patient, in this case with reference to identification. This way the information filled on the forms is going to be associated with the relevant details on the medical records on the information systems. It thus becomes much easier for any other health care practitioner handling the case of the patient to be in a position to pull out the records of the patient and assess the previous information before they can make any medical decisions that could impact the health of the patient (British Heart Foundation, 2017). This is a common element, as medical practitioners are sometimes forced to make quick decision when a patient comes under their care. The form should also include some short and precise description of the indication for coronary angiogram or cardiac intervention intended. This heals to further narrow down to what the patient may be suffering from. Using this information, the cardiologist is able to make the necessary decisions and instruct their team on the next course of action (Massachusetts General Hospital, 2017). This is also means that there is need for the form to capture the laboratory results that have been carried out recently to give the indications that have been mentioned above. These are results that will help the cardiologist to better understand what the patient is going through and the best approaches based on the history that they have had with the condition or generally with their condition. Some of the results that need to be reflected on the form include the ECHO, MPI ECG and the previous ANGIO findings ("Cardiac Catheterization", 2017). These should be clearly indicated so that the cardiologist or the nurse that is handling the case to understand the current status of the patient’s health. It is also crucial for the form to have precise indications on whether the patient need to be admitted before they can undergo the procedure (Mayo Clinic, 2017). This is crucial relative to the fact that most of the patients before they are referred for the cardiac procedures, usually they will have some complications that have led to the referral in the first place. As such, depending on the severity of their cases, it is crucial that they are assessed and indications made in reference to whether they will require to be admitted before they can undergo any procedures. The level of urgency should also be indicated to make sure that the patient is given the right attention when they are admitted. Any aspects of feedback should also be indicated for the cardiologist to refer to when they are evaluating the information that is given to them. Other than that, the information of the attending practitioners, health care facility where the patient is admitted and where they are being referred and the dates are crucial ("Cardiac Catheterization", 2017). These are details that could otherwise be considered to be obvious however, they are important when it comes to the future treatments and the elements of accountability associated with the patient.
The cath lab form is part of the procedures that are crucial when it comes to innovative interventions that help establish quality care when it comes to patients (Fornell, 2014). It helps the health care practitioners to establish some element of flow within the procedures and accountability such that, it is easier to know who has handled the patient before and if they carried out the right care procedures (American College of Cardiology Foundation, 2017). Where there are complications, it becomes much easier to identify where these could have resulted from and how they can be averted in the future. Ideally, the form helps to also build on the patient’s health care records. Such that in the future, the health care practitioners are able to establish what measures they need to take based on the information available ("Cardiac Catheterization", 2017). Lack of such information can easily lead to complications for the patient and this does not only affect the patient, as the health care givers, family and friends are also affected by the health care outcomes. This is especially the case where the patient suffers prolonged stay or develop fatal complications.
Evidence in Practice
‘In this prospective registry of over 8000 patients referred for cardiac catheterization in 1998–2000 in the Central-South Region of Ontario, the median waiting time was 6 days for inpatients and 60 days for outpatients. Only 37% of patients received the procedure within the time requested by the referring physician. The overall incidence of major cardiac events was 1.4%, with 50 deaths during a median wait of 27 days. In a retrospective study of 871 patients in Manitoba referred for cardiac catheterization in 1981–1982, the incidence rates of cardiac arrest, acute MI, death and emergency admission during a mean waiting time of 4.2 weeks were 0.5%, 0.9%, 0.4%, and 3.7% respectively.10 In an observational cohort study of 381 adult outpatients placed on a waiting list at a public hospital in Galveston, Tex., in 1993–1994, 36 patients (9.4%) experienced adverse events, including 6 deaths (1.6%), 4 MIs (1.0%) and 26 admissions to hospital (6.8%) for angina or CHF, over a mean follow-up period of 8.4 months.13 In a single-centre prospective cohort study of 357 adult patients referred for cardiac catheterization in 1997, 22 patients (6.2%) experienced adverse events: 4 patients (1.1%) died, 2 (0.6%) had an MI, and 16 (4.5%) required a more urgent procedure or hospital admission.11 Finally, in a retrospective study of 696 inpatients referred in the greater Toronto area in 1997–1998, the adverse event rate was 1.6%, with 6 deaths (0.9%) and 3 nonfatal MIs (0.4%) during a mean wait of 5.7 days.12 Our finding of a major cardiac event rate of 1.4% is consistent with these data. Most of the deaths re...