Online Medical Records for Heart Failure Patients
Author Information
Author(s): Stephen E Ross, Laurie A Moore, Mark A Earnest, Loretta Wittevrongel, Chen-Tan Lin
Primary Institution: University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
Hypothesis
Access to the medical record would improve self-efficacy, adherence, and satisfaction, and might improve health status.
Conclusion
Providing patients with congestive heart failure access to an online medical record was feasible and improved adherence.
Supporting Evidence
- The intervention group showed improved general adherence compared to controls.
- Emergency department visits were higher in the intervention group, but not temporally related to online record use.
- Patient satisfaction with doctor-patient communication showed trends towards improvement.
Takeaway
This study showed that letting heart failure patients see their medical records online helped them stick to their treatment better.
Methodology
A randomized controlled trial was conducted with surveys assessing communication, adherence, and health status at baseline, 6 months, and 1 year.
Potential Biases
Participants were self-selected, which may limit generalizability.
Limitations
The study had a small sample size and was not powered to detect significant effects on health status.
Participant Demographics
Mean age was 57 years, 80% male, 92% white non-Hispanic, and 53% were college graduates.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p=0.01
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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