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A recent study compared US hospitals on how closely they adhered to guidelines for managing a heart attack. Those who did stick to them significantly reduced death rates. When we're admitted to a hospital, we'd like to think that the standard of care is as high as any other hospital you'd be sent to. Most doctors though, know that's not true. There's unacceptable variation in quality and it probably does matter whose emergency door you're wheeled through. Just ask your doctor which hospitals he or she would want the ambulance to pass by (assuming you live somewhere with that luxury). Anyway, one way of reducing unacceptable variations in quality is insisting that doctors and nurses follow guidelines and protocols applying the best available evidence. Guidelines aren't liked for lots of complex reasons but they can save lives. A recent study compared US hospitals on how closely they adhered to guidelines for looking after people with serious chest pain who may be at imminent risk of a heart attack. About 25 per cent of the institutions failed to adhere to the recommended processes but those who did stick to them significantly reduced death rates. It shows medical doubters that using proven processes can make a difference.
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