A Computerized Intervention to Decrease the Use of Calcium Channel Blockers in Hypertension

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a computer‐assisted reminder would alter prescribing habits for the treatment of hypertension in accordance with current clinical guidelines in a general internal medicine clinic. DESIGN: A randomized trial. SETTING: The General Internal Medicine Clinic of the Veteran...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Journal of general internal medicine : JGIM 1997-11, Vol.12 (11), p.672-678
Hauptverfasser: Rossi, Ralph A., Every, Nathan R.
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:Volltext
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a computer‐assisted reminder would alter prescribing habits for the treatment of hypertension in accordance with current clinical guidelines in a general internal medicine clinic. DESIGN: A randomized trial. SETTING: The General Internal Medicine Clinic of the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle Division. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: Clinic providers were randomized to a control group (n= 35) or intervention group (n= 36). We targeted the providers of patients being treated for hypertension with calcium channel blockers, a class of drug not recommended for initial therapy. INTERVENTION: An automated computer query identified eligible patients and their providers. A guideline reminder was placed in the charts of patients of intervention providers; the charts of patients of control providers received no reminder. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: During the 5‐month study period, 346 patients were seen by the 36 primary care providers (staff physicians, nurse practitioners, residents, and fellows) in the intervention group, and 373 patients were seen by the 35 providers in the control group. Intervention providers changed 39 patients (11.3%) to other medications during the study period, compared with 1 patient (
ISSN:0884-8734
1525-1497
DOI:10.1046/j.1525-1497.1997.07140.x