Primary Health Tasmania
This session will provide an overview of the assessment and management of chest pain in general practice, focusing on risk-based assessment, appropriate investigations and interpretation of contemporary cardiac tests. It will also explore referral and rapid access pathways to support timely specialist input and highlight opportunities to identify and address cardiovascular risk factors during assessment to reduce future events.
Learning Outcomes:
- Use a structured, risk-based approach to assess chest pain in general practice, distinguishing patients who require urgent emergency referral from those suitable for outpatient assessment or reassurance.
- Select appropriate initial investigations for patients presenting with chest pain, including ECGs, troponin testing and non-invasive cardiac investigations, based on clinical presentation and pre-test probability.
- Explain the role, strengths and limitations of contemporary cardiac investigations, including CT coronary angiography, functional stress testing and echocardiography, and interpret results in the primary care context.
- Utilise local chest pain and rapid access referral pathways, as well as alternative direct referral options for functional testing or cardiac imaging, to streamline care and ensure timely specialist input.
- Recognise the high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in patients presenting with chest pain, and identify opportunities during assessment to address modifiable risk and reduce future cardiovascular events.
Speaker Information:
Dr Andrew Black is a senior staff specialist interventional cardiologist at the Royal Hobart Hospital and senior adjunct researcher at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research. Andrew is the clinical lead of the Tasmanian STEMI Network and holds leadership positions with national clinical quality registries for coronary intervention. He is a member of the RACP Advanced Training Committee in Cardiology, the Australian Atherosclerosis Society Expert Advisory Panel and Familial Hypercholesterolemia Australasia Professional Advisory Body.
Dr Paul MacIntyre has clinical interests in general cardiology, pacemakers, heart , device therapy and cardiac rehabilitation. He graduated from Glasgow University, Scotland in 1987. He completed specialist training in Glasgow and was appointed as a Consultant Cardiologist at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in 1996. In 2007 he received a merit award for achievements in Cardiology in Scotland and his broader contribution to the NHS. In 2005 he was appointed to the position of Lead Clinician for Coronary Heart Disease in Scotland and Chair of the National Advisory Committee to the Scottish Government. In this role he worked the Scottish Government on service development, strategy and policy in relation to Cardiology. He moved to Hobart in 2011. He was Director of Cardiology at the Royal Hobart Hospital from 2012 to 2020. He was instrumental in the development of clinical services and is a member of the RHH Executive Committee.
Dr Graeme Bleach originally trained in the UK and has over 30 yrs experience as a GP in Tasmania. He stepped away from clinical practice in 2023 but has continued since 2013 as lead clinical editor for Tasmanian Health Pathways, and since 2012 as a tutor at the medical school. He has been involved in Primary Health Networks and Cardiac Clinical Networks since their inception. He also consults directly for Streamliners NZ who originally conceived Health Pathways and now run them for New Zealand, Australia, Wales and parts of England and Canada
This event is RACGP approved for 1.5 hours of Educational Activities
