Results were inconsistent for changes in CVD risk factors such as systolic and diastolic blood pressure , total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol , and hemoglobin A1C levels .
CONCLUSIONS CDSSs are effective in improving clinician practice s related to screening and other preventive care services , clinical tests , and treatments .
CONTEXT Clinical decision support systems ( CDSSs ) can help clinicians assess cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) risk and manage CVD risk factors by providing tailored assessment s and treatment recommendations based on individual patient data .
The goal of this systematic review was to examine the effectiveness of CDSSs in improving screening for CVD risk factors , practice s for CVD-related preventive care services such as clinical tests and prescribed treatments , and management of CVD risk factors .
Effects of an automated electronic reminder in changing the antiplatelet drug-prescribing behavior among Italian general practitioners in diabetic patients: an intervention trial.
OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether an electronic reminder integrated into a routine computer system increases the use of antiplatelet drugs  for diabetic patients among Italian general practitioners ( GPs ) . RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A r and omized controlled trial was carried out among 300 GPs and their patients selected from the Health Search Data base . Among these , 150 GPs ( intervention group ) received instructions to activate an electronic reminder plus a letter summarizing the beneficial effects of antiplatelet drugs in diabetic patients with at least one additional cardiovascular risk factor ( " high risk " ) , whereas the other 150 GPs ( control group ) received only the letter . The electronic reminder , integrated into a st and ard software system for the management of the daily clinical practice , was displayed when every participating GP opened the medical record of diabetic patients aged > or = 30 years . Only high-risk diabetic patients were included in the analysis . Patients were considered under antiplatelet treatment if they received two or more prescriptions at baseline and during the follow-up . RESULTS We selected 15,343 high-risk diabetic patients , 7,313 belonging to GPs of the control group and 8,030 belonging to GPs of the intervention group . Overall , 1,672 patients ( 22.9 % ) of the control group and 1,886 ( 23.5 % ) patients of the intervention group received  antiplatelet drugs  at baseline ( P = N.S. ) . At the end of the follow-up , the number of treated patients was significantly increased in the intervention group ( odds ratio 1.99 , 95 % CI 1.79 - 2.22 ) versus the control group . The effect of the electronic reminder was more relevant among those patients with one or more cardiovascular risk factors but without previous cardiovascular diseases ( CVDs ) , compared with those with CVDs . CONCLUSIONS These findings provide evidence for the effect of an electronic reminder in affecting the prescriptive behavior of GPs
Results were inconsistent for changes in CVD risk factors such as systolic and diastolic blood pressure , total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol , and hemoglobin A1C levels .
CONCLUSIONS CDSSs are effective in improving clinician practice s related to screening and other preventive care services , clinical tests , and treatments .
CONTEXT Clinical decision support systems ( CDSSs ) can help clinicians assess cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) risk and manage CVD risk factors by providing tailored assessment s and treatment recommendations based on individual patient data .
The goal of this systematic review was to examine the effectiveness of CDSSs in improving screening for CVD risk factors , practice s for CVD-related preventive care services such as clinical tests and prescribed treatments , and management of CVD risk factors .