Erlangen starts study: diagnose chest pain quickly and reliably!

Erlangen starts study: diagnose chest pain quickly and reliably!

What's going on in Erlangen? An important project to improve health care recently gained momentum. The IMPRO study, which is being carried out at the University Hospital Erlangen, aims to develop a new outpatient care route for the rapid diagnosis of chest pain and coronary heart disease. Prof. Dr. Thomas Kühlein, head of the general medicine institute at the university hospital, emphasizes the need for quick and reliable diagnoses to ensure the well-being of patients. The Erlangen University Hospital reports that this nationwide study is one of the largest interdisciplinary studies in the outpatient sector in Germany.

The IMPRO study was launched in July 2025 and will run until September 2028. Several thousand patients take part in a total of 16 regions and over 300 primary care, radiology and cardiology practices. The patients are treated in two phases: In the control phase, the usual care is provided, while in the intervention phase, a new interdisciplinary method for diagnosis and further care is used, sometimes using a cardio CT. The website of the University of Marburg emphasizes that close collaboration between general practitioners, radiologists, cardiologists and cardiac surgeons is essential for the success of this study.

A new supply concept

The focus of the study is to investigate a new care route for patients with chest pain and suspected chronic coronary heart disease (CHD). In view of the increasing challenges in the healthcare system, future-oriented supply management is essential. The 128th German Doctors' Day 2024 has already addressed the main topic of “health care of the future” and suggested reforming the use of acute and emergency care. The German Medical Association informs that it will develop a concept for socially balanced care management that takes patients' personal responsibility into account.

The IMPRO project is led by an experienced team, including Prof. Dr. Annika Viniol and Dr. Veronika van der Wardt. Over 3,000 patients are part of the study, and the project has received funding of around 9.3 million euros from the G-BA's innovation fund for the next 39 months. These funds are primarily used to promote innovative approaches to outpatient diagnostics and therapy.

Participation in the study

General practitioner practices are called upon to take part in the IMPRO study. Weekly online information events will take place on December 3rd and 5th, 2025, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Anyone interested can contact impro.am(at)uk-erlangen.de directly by email. Prof. Kühlein and his team are convinced that the results of this study will sustainably improve primary care in Germany and represent an important step towards effective and patient-oriented healthcare.