Spirit Checklist for Psychological interventions for reducing non-cardiac Emergency Department Re-presentations – A study protocol for RCT

Background: Psychological factors can have an impact on non-cardiac chest pain presentations to emergency departments (ED). The current study aims to investigate if providing psychological interventions for non-cardiac chest pain can reduce the number of ED re-presentationsAim: The primary aim of the study is to reduce the number of ED re-presentations in the target population through provision of psychological interventions. Specifically, the aim of this study is to determine whether there are differences in outcomes for individuals who present to ED with non-cardiac chest pain and receive psychological intervention vs those who receive usual care, in relation to ED re-presentations over a 6-month period. The secondary aim is to study if the intervention will be cost effective and result in an improvement in the quality of life and reduction in psychological distressMethods: This is a single-blind randomized controlled trial in which the assessor is blind to treatment vs standard care condition. All individuals between 18 and 65 who present with non-cardiac chest pain to ED will be invited to participate in the research. Consenting participants who meet the selection criteria, will be randomly allocated to either -:A) Psychological treatment group consisting of 6 sessions of psychotherapyB) Usual care/ Wait list controlsOutcomes will be assessed for both groups at baseline, 8 weeks, 16 weeks and 24 weeksDiscussion: Results are expected to inform practice guidelines for ED and referral pathways for patients with non-cardiac chest pain.