Using prediction models and cost-effectiveness analysis to improve clinical decisions: emergency department patients with acute chest pain.

Prediction models and cost-effectiveness analysis are two of the methodologies included in the broad definition of outcomes research. These methodologies are designed to improve physicians' abilities to identify clinical risks and to choose appropriate management strategies based on these risks. For the evaluation and management of patients with acute chest pain, prediction models have markedly improved our ability to estimate risk, and cost-effectiveness analyses have helped guide the development of new paradigms and the incorporation of new technologies.