OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of different types of interventions in improving health professional performance and health outcomes. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, SCISEARCH, CINAHL and the Research and Development Resource Base in CME were searched for trials of educational interventions in the health care professions published between 1970 and 1993 inclusive. STUDY SELECTION: Studies were selected if they provided objective measurements of health professional performance or health outcomes and employed random or quasi-random allocation methods in their study designs to assign individual subjects or groups. Interventions included such activities as conferences, outreach visits, the use of local opinion leaders, audit and feedback, and reminder systems. DATA EXTRACTION: Details extracted from the studies included the study design; the unit of allocation (e.g., patient, provider, practice, hospital); the characteristics of the targeted health care professionals, educational interventions and patients (when appropriate); and the main outcome measure. DATA SYNTHESIS: The inclusion criteria were met by 102 trials. Areas of behaviour change included general patient management, preventive services, prescribing practices, treatment of specific conditions such as hypertension or diabetes, and diagnostic service or hospital utilization. Dissemination-only strategies, such as conferences or the mailing of unsolicited materials, demonstrated little or no changes in health professional behaviour or health outcome when used alone. More complex interventions, such as the use of outreach visits or local opinion leaders, ranged from ineffective to highly effective but were most often moderately effective (resulting in reductions of 20% to 50% in the incidence of inappropriate performance). CONCLUSION: There are no "magic bullets" for improving the quality of health care, but there are a wide range of interventions available that, if used appropriately, could lead to important improvements in professional practice and patient outcomes.

No magic bullets: a systematic review of 102 trials of interventions to improve professional practice

Background
Patients with high blood pressure (hypertension) in the community frequently fail to meet treatment goals - a condition labelled as "uncontrolled" hypertension. The optimal way to organize and deliver care to hypertensive patients has not been clearly identified.

Objectives
To determine the effectiveness of interventions to improve control of blood pressure in patients with hypertension. To evaluate the effectiveness of reminders on improving the follow-up of patients with hypertension.

Search methods
All-language search of all articles (any year) in the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (CCTR) and Medline; and Embase from January 1980.

Selection criteria
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of patients with hypertension that evaluated the following interventions: 
(1) self-monitoring 
(2) educational interventions directed to the patient 
(3) educational interventions directed to the health professional 
(4) health professional (nurse or pharmacist) led care 
(5) organisational interventions that aimed to improve the delivery of care 
(6) appointment reminder systems

Outcomes assessed were: 
(1) mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure 
(2) control of blood pressure 
(3) proportion of patients followed up at clinic

Data collection and analysis
Two authors extracted data independently and in duplicate and assessed each study according to the criteria outlined by the Cochrane Handbook.

Main results
72 RCTs met our inclusion criteria. The methodological quality of included studies varied. An organized system of regular review allied to vigorous antihypertensive drug therapy was shown to reduce systolic blood pressure (weighted mean difference (WMD) -8.0 mmHg, 95% CI: -8.8 to -7.2 mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure (WMD -4.3 mmHg, 95% CI: -4.7 to -3.9 mmHg) for three strata of entry blood pressure, and all-cause mortality at five years follow-up (6.4% versus 7.8%, difference 1.4%) in a single large RCT- the Hypertension Detection and Follow-Up study. Other interventions had variable effects. Self-monitoring was associated with moderate net reduction in systolic blood pressure (WMD -2.5 mmHg, 95% CI: -3.7 to -1.3 mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure (WMD -1.8 mmHg, 95% CI: -2.4 to -1.2 mmHg). RCTs of educational interventions directed at patients or health professionals were heterogeneous but appeared unlikely to be associated with large net reductions in blood pressure by themselves. Nurse or pharmacist led care may be a promising way forward, with the majority of RCTs being associated with improved blood pressure control and mean SBP and DBP but these interventions require further evaluation. Appointment reminder systems also require further evaluation due to heterogeneity and small trial numbers, but the majority of trials increased the proportion of individuals who attended for follow-up (odds ratio 0.41, 95% CI 0.32 to 0.51) and in two small trials also led to improved blood pressure control, odds ratio favouring intervention 0.54 (95% CI 0.41 to 0.73).

Authors' conclusions
Family practices and community-based clinics need to have an organized system of regular follow-up and review of their hypertensive patients. Antihypertensive drug therapy should be implemented by means of a vigorous stepped care approach when patients do not reach target blood pressure levels. Self-monitoring and appointment reminders may be useful adjuncts to the above strategies to improve blood pressure control but require further evaluation.

Interventions used to improve control of blood pressure in patients with hypertension.

Objectives An evidence report was prepared to assess the evidence base regarding benefits and costs of health information technology (HIT) systems, that is, the value of discrete HIT functions and systems in various healthcare settings, particularly those providing pediatric care. Data sources PubMed, the Cochrane Controlled Clinical Trials Register, and the Cochrane Database of Reviews of Effectiveness (DARE) were electronically searched for articles published since 1995. Several reports prepared by private industry were also reviewed. Review methods Of 855 studies screened, 256 were included in the final analyses. These included systematic reviews, meta-analyses, studies that tested a hypothesis, and predictive analyses. Each article was reviewed independently by two reviewers; disagreement was resolved by consensus. Results Of the 256 studies, 156 concerned decision support, 84 assessed the electronic medical record, and 30 were about computerized physician order entry (categories are not mutually exclusive). One hundred twenty four of the studies assessed the effect of the HIT system in the outpatient or ambulatory setting; 82 assessed its use in the hospital or inpatient setting. Ninety-seven studies used a randomized design. There were 11 other controlled clinical trials, 33 studies using a pre-post design, and 20 studies using a time series. Another 17 were case studies with a concurrent control. Of the 211 hypothesis-testing studies, 82 contained at least some cost data. We identified no study or collection of studies, outside of those from a handful of HIT leaders, that would allow a reader to make a determination about the generalizable knowledge of the study's reported benefit. Beside these studies from HIT leaders, no other research assessed HIT systems that had comprehensive functionality and included data on costs, relevant information on organizational context and process change, and data on implementation. A small body of literature supports a role for HIT in improving the quality of pediatric care. Insufficient data were available on the costs or cost-effectiveness of implementing such systems. The ability of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) to improve the quality of care in ambulatory care settings was demonstrated in a small series of studies conducted at four sites (three U.S. medical centers and one in the Netherlands). The studies demonstrated improvements in provider performance when clinical information management and decision support tools were made available within an EHR system, particularly when the EHRs had the capacity to store data with high fidelity, to make those data readily accessible, and to help translate them into context-specific information that can empower providers in their work. Despite the heterogeneity in the analytic methods used, all cost-benefit analyses predicted substantial savings from EHR (and health care information exchange and interoperability) implementation: The quantifiable benefits are projected to outweigh the investment costs. However, the predicted time needed to break even varied from three to as many as 13 years. Conclusions HIT has the potential to enable a dramatic transformation in the delivery of health care, making it safer, more effective, and more efficient. Some organizations have already realized major gains through the implementation of multifunctional, interoperable HIT systems built around an EHR. However, widespread implementation of HIT has been limited by a lack of generalizable knowledge about what types of HIT and implementation methods will improve care and manage costs for specific health organizations. The reporting of HIT development and implementation requires fuller descriptions of both the intervention and the organizational/economic environment in which it is implemented.

/pdf/costs-and-benefits-of-health-information-technology-512cder0m5.pdf

Costs and Benefits of Health Information Technology

https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(96)07099-7.pdf

Blood-pressure control in the hypertensive population

These recommendations for the definition, diagnosis and management of chronic inducible urticaria (CIndU) extend, revise and update our previous consensus report on physical urticarias and cholinergic urticaria (Allergy, 2009). The aim of these recommendations is to improve the diagnosis and management of patients with CIndU. Our recommendations acknowledge the latest changes in our understanding of CIndU, and the available therapeutic options, as well as the development of novel diagnostic tools.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/all.12884

The definition, diagnostic testing, and management of chronic inducible urticarias – The EAACI/GA2LEN/EDF/UNEV consensus recommendations 2016 update and revision

A total of 278 hypertensive patients in three clinics were randomly allocated to have their medical records held in a computer system (136) or on standard hospital notes (142). For the computer system the doctor completed a structured input form, and the information on symptoms, physical findings, and diagnoses was more complete than that in the standard notes. This resulted in certain symptoms and risk factors being recognised more often when the computer system was used. The hypertension clinics' routines were not disrupted by the introduction of a computer-held system, and follow-up consultation times were not affected by the type of records kept, although the first consultation took eight minutes longer when computer documents were completed. The patients remained in the trial for one year and clinical management was assessed from blood pressure control, drop-out rates, and the frequency of performing investigations. These estimates of management showed no significant difference between the two groups, but the attempt to tailor the computer system to help management made the system acceptable to the doctors using it. The computer system continues to be used and is providing data for research into hypertension.

https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/1/6011/677.full.pdf

Randomised controlled trial of computer-held medical records in hypertensive patients.

Prescribing patterns and blood pressure control have been studied in 1101 patients treated at three specialist hypertension clinics in Britain. Seventy-four per cent of the patients were already receiving treatment at the time they were referred by their general practitioners. Though the initial improvement in blood pressure control was satisfactory, there was often some deterioration of control over the long term. The pressure exceeded 140/90 mmHg in the majority of patients followed for a year or more. During 1971-5 diuretics remained first preference, with increasing use of beta-blockers and a distinct decline in the use of sympathetic neurone blockers both by hospital staff and referring practitioners. Multiple drug treatment was common, nearly half the patients requiring more than one antihypertensive drug. In newly treated patients the frequency of cessation of a particular class of drug because of side effects or lack of efficacy ranged from 6 per cent with diuretics to 57 per cent with adrenergic neurone blocking drugs. Long-term blood pressure control still presents many problems, and the results contrast with the more optimistic interpretations sometimes placed on short-term clinical trials of antihypertensive effect.

https://heart.bmj.com/content/heartjnl/43/1/74.full.pdf

Long-term antihypertensive drug treatment and blood pressure control in three hospital hypertension clinics.

A computer-based medical record system has been developed to help with research into hypertension and the management of patients with hypertension. Standard medical records are replaced by data collection forms and case notes printed by the computer. A computer-generated document for recording information at follow-up visits contains an up-to-date summary of the important clinical features with warnings of risk factors. A blood-pressure graph and a letter for the general practitioner are produced on request. The system has been used in three clinics for two years and is being tested in general practice. Information on 900 newly-referred patients has been recorded and at present data on 30 to 40 new patients and 160 follow-up visits are added each month.

/pdf/computer-based-hypertension-clinic-records-a-co-operative-2unrxdwkag.pdf

Computer-based hypertension clinic records: a co-operative study.

The initial record of history and clinical findings has been studied in 278 patients attending three hypertension clinics. Half of these were randomly allocated to standard case notes and the other half to a special structured questionnaire record. The investigations carried out in a total of 521 patients with raised arterial pressures were examined. The records derived from the structured questionnaire were much more complete than the standard case notes but the difference was less obvious for a positive record than a negative one. None of the investigations was carried out in all patients, even though it was the policy of the clinics that most of them should be. A possible aetiological diagnosis was made in 28 patients and, at the time of writing, 3 patients had benefited from a surgical operation carried out as a result of investigation. These results raise the question of the quality of the initial care of hypertensive patients and suggest that the structured questionnaires might lead to an improvement. It remains to be established whether all the information collected does influence the outcome in patients with hypertension.

https://heart.bmj.com/content/heartjnl/39/2/181.full.pdf

Initial care of hypertensive patients. Influence of different types of clinical records.

The nature of clinical data is discussed. A model data structure which accommodates both the varying number of items between patients and the varying number of observations between items is proposed. Some user requirements for input and for both routine and research output are stated. A system which was constructed on these lines and which has been processing clinical data about patients with raised blood pressure for four years is described.

/pdf/an-approach-to-computer-processing-of-clinical-data-4c12ffh0iy.pdf

S. C. Turner

Papers

Randomised controlled trial of computer-held medical records in hypertensive patients.

Long-term antihypertensive drug treatment and blood pressure control in three hospital hypertension clinics.

Computer-based hypertension clinic records: a co-operative study.

Initial care of hypertensive patients. Influence of different types of clinical records.

An Approach to Computer Processing of Clinical Data