Computerized Guidelines Enhanced by Symptoms and History: Clinical Effects
Study Overview
Detailed Description
Background:
Physician compliance with practice guidelines is imperfect. Computer-generated reminders from electronic medical record systems have been shown to increase compliance with guidelines, but they often require symptom and history data, which limits computer facilitation. Heart failure is a serious condition for which compliance with established guidelines is suboptimal. Physicians� compliance with heart failure guidelines may improve if such reminders use symptom and history data.
Objectives:
1) Program standard computer-based guidelines for heart failure using data from the electronic medical record systems at the Indianapolis and Seattle VAMCs. 2) Establish a system for capturing data on symptoms and history from heart failure patients before scheduled primary care visits. 3) Incorporate these data into enhanced computer reminders. 4) Conduct a randomized, controlled trial comparing these two types of reminders� effects on physician prescribing, patient objective and subjective outcomes, and health care utilization.
Methods:
This controlled trial targets patients with objective evidence of left ventricular dysfunction on cardiac imaging studies and a current outpatient diagnosis of heart failure. Primary care physicians in the Indianapolis and Seattle VAMCs have been randomized to receive either standard heart failure treatment reminders or reminders enhanced by history/symptom data. Study data come from the VAMCs electronic medical record systems (i.e., clinical data, utilization, and costs) and patient interviews (heart failure symptoms and medication compliance, heart failure-specific quality of life, and patients� satisfaction with their primary care). Data analysis will be performed at the patient level using general estimating equations to account for patient and physician characteristics and clustering of patients within physicians.
Status:
Data Collection: Enrollment has been completed, with 503 patients enrolled from the Roudebush VAMC in Indianapolis and 250 from the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle. The trial continues without irregularities in both places. More than 80 percent of eligible patients were enrolled from both sites. Subjective data are being collected prior to scheduled visits on more than 95 percent of enrolled subjects.
Study Type
Enrollment (Anticipated)
Phase
- Not Applicable
Contacts and Locations
Study Locations
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Indiana
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Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46202-2884
- Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN
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North Carolina
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Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27705
- Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC
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Washington
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Seattle, Washington, United States, 98108
- VA Puget Sound Health Care System Seattle Division, Seattle, WA
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Participation Criteria
Eligibility Criteria
Ages Eligible for Study
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Genders Eligible for Study
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
Left ventricular systolic dysfunction by echocardiogram or cardiac MUGA scan and the outpatient diagnosis of heart failure and the primary care physician's statement that he or she is actively treating the patient for heart failure.
Exclusion Criteria:
Study Plan
How is the study designed?
Design Details
- Allocation: Randomized
- Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
- Masking: None (Open Label)
Arms and Interventions
Participant Group / Arm |
Intervention / Treatment |
|---|---|
|
Other: Arm 1
|
Collaborators and Investigators
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: William M. Tierney, MD, Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN
- Principal Investigator: Stephan D. Fihn, MD MPH, VA Puget Sound Health Care System Seattle Division, Seattle, WA
Publications and helpful links
General Publications
- Subramanian U, Fihn SD, Weinberger M, Plue L, Smith FE, Udris EM, McDonell MB, Eckert GJ, Temkit M, Zhou XH, Chen L, Tierney WM. A controlled trial of including symptom data in computer-based care suggestions for managing patients with chronic heart failure. Am J Med. 2004 Mar 15;116(6):375-84. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2003.11.021.
- Udris EM, Au DH, McDonell MB, Chen L, Martin DC, Tierney WM, Fihn SD. Comparing methods to identify general internal medicine clinic patients with chronic heart failure. Am Heart J. 2001 Dec;142(6):1003-9. doi: 10.1067/mhj.2001.119130.
Study record dates
Study Major Dates
Study Start
Primary Completion
Study Completion (Actual)
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
First Posted (Estimate)
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Estimate)
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
Last Verified
More Information
Terms related to this study
Additional Relevant MeSH Terms
Other Study ID Numbers
- CPG 97-001
Drug and device information, study documents
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product
product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.
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