A recently published study from Kaiser Permanente has found that integrating screening alerts for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) into an electronic health record (EHR) can reduce the number of at-risk patients who go without screenings by over 50 percent. The study was published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery.
AAAs, which are bulges in the aorta, can be fatal if ruptured, with more than 50 percent of rupture resulting in death, and it is believed that over a million Americans are living with the condition. The American Heart Association and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force have been working since 2005 to have men with a smoking history between the ages of 65 and 75 screened for AAA. Between March 2012 and June 2013, alerts were placed in the EHR for patients in the at-risk category. Across the system, the number of unscreened men fell to 20.26 percent from 51.74 percent.
“Because abdominal aortic aneurysms are generally asymptomatic before they burst, most of the patients who have a rupture didn’t even know that they had an aneurysm,” said Robert J. Hye, MD, study lead author and chief of vascular surgery, Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center. “That makes screening for AAA all the more vital and important.”
Kaiser Permanente has researched the benefits of its HealthConnect EHR system, which launched in 2004. System used studies have found reporting time reductions in quality measures, and a decrease in readmissions and emergency room visits for diabetic patients. The system is used in 618 medical offices and 38 hospitals, securely connecting more about 9.1 million users, and is the largest seks hikaye non-governmental system in the world. The system also allows researchers access to an enormous collection of medical data.
Study authors include Andrea E. Smith, MSN, RN, PHN, Regional Outpatient Safety Net, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, Calif.; Gary H. Wong, MD, MPH, Department of Population Care Management, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Fontana, Calif.; Southida S. Vansomphone, PharmD, Department of Pharmacy Analytical Services, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Downey, Calif.; Ronald D. Scott, MD, Department of Lipidology and Family Medicine, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, West Los Angeles; and Michael H. Kanter, MD, Department of Quality and Clinical Analysis, Administration, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena.
For the full release from Kaiser Permanente, click here.
