Effect of radiographer-led intervention on reassurance, treatment satisfaction, and recurring chest pain in patients with a normal coronary computed tomography angiography-a randomized controlled trial

Background Chest pain is a common complaint in the general practitioner's (GP) office. Computed tomography (CT) is one of the main diagnostic tools available for assessing coronary artery disease (CAD), with a low probability of a false-negative result (<1%). Despite normal CT findings, many patients with non-coronary chest pain believe they suffer from CAD. Aims To determine the effect of an intervention on reassurance, treatment satisfaction, and recurring chest pain in patients with non-coronary chest pain at follow-up after 1 month. Methods Patients with chest pain, but with normal coronary CT angiography, i.e., no CAD, were randomized into two groups. The intervention group received extended information about the CT examination, including visualization of their individual coronary calcium score images, before the radiographer conveyed the final examination result. The control group received standard care, i.e., neither extended information nor the examination result and were encouraged to consult their referring cardiologist or GP after 1 week. Items from the Seattle Angina Questionnaire and a question regarding reassurance measured the effect of the intervention at follow-up after 1 month. Results The study included 92 patients, 63 female and 29 male, with a follow-up response rate of 80%. Reassurance and overall treatment satisfaction were significantly higher in the intervention group (P = 0.016 and P = 0.046 respectively). The incidence of chest pain was significantly reduced in the intervention group (P = 0.042). Conclusion This study demonstrated that the intervention group showed significantly higher reassurance, overall treatment satisfaction, and experienced significantly less chest pain at follow-up after 1 month.