DENVER, Aug 17, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Electronic records linked to health
experts can help cardiac patients stay healthier, U.S. researchers say.
The Kaiser Permanente study, published in The American Journal of Managed Care,
finds a program linking coronary artery disease patients and teams of
pharmacists, nurses, primary care doctors and cardiologists with an electronic
health record helps keep patients healthier and cuts cardiac deaths by 73
percent.
The two-year randomized trial of 421 patients also finds patients receiving
electronic reminder letters keep their lipid and blood pressure levels at
controlled, healthy levels.
"Because lack of adherence to medications and failure to maintain treatment
goals are so high among heart disease patients, we wanted to find out what would
happen to the patients after they were discharged from the program but remained
in contact with the health care system through our electronic health record,"
study lead author Kari L. Olson of Kaiser Permanente Colorado's Cardiac Risk
Reduction program in Denver says in a statement.
URL: www.upi.com
Copyright 2009 by United Press International