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Objective To investigate whether providing information about normal findings before a diagnostic test improves patients' reassurance and reduces anxiety about symptoms.

Design Randomised controlled trial.

Setting Outpatient cardiology clinic.

Participants 92 patients with chest pain referred for a diagnostic exercise stress test.

Intervention Before undergoing testing patients were randomised to receive standard information (n=28; control group), a pamphlet explaining the function of the test and the meaning of normal test results (n=30; pamphlet group), or the pamphlet and a brief discussion about the meaning of normal test results (n=34; discussion group).

Main outcome measures The primary outcome was patients' reported reassurance on a 5 item scale immediately after the test and at one month. Secondary outcomes were the proportion of patients still with chest pain and still taking cardiac drugs at one month …