Typical stable angina in a nurse-led chest pain assessment unit

Abstract

Advanced physical assessment is a core component of the cardiac nursing role. This article focuses on the assessment of a patient referred with ‘typical’ symptoms of a stable angina. This care study highlights the significance of effective-nurse led physical assessment in the accurate identification of patients who require urgent cardiac attention. It demonstrates how a physical assessment and detailed history-taking during a nurse consultation identified that a patient needed a rapid, detailed evaluation by a consultant.