: It seems that computers have a favourable effect on the uptake and follow up of patients in hypertension management .
STUDY OBJECTIVE : To assess the effect of computers and computer-based clinical decision support systems on the  management of hypertension .
Randomised controlled trial of computer assisted management of hypertension in primary care.
The hypothesis that general practitioners would obtain better outcomes for patients with hypertension using a computer  than doctors not using a computer  was tested . Sixty family physicians were r and omised to two treatment strategies . " Test " physicians completed a data collection form after each visit from a patient with hypertension and mailed the forms to the test centre for processing . Computer feedback on management was mailed to the doctors . This encouraged doctors to apply the " stepped care " protocol , supplied charts of diastolic blood pressure v time , and ranked patients ' diastolic blood pressures by percentile . Letters were mailed to patients to remind them of appointments . " Control " doctors filled out the same data collection forms as test physicians , but neither doctors nor patients received computer feedback . Physicians who used the computer saw more patients per practice than control doctors ( test 50 patients , control 40 ) . For all patients the length of follow up was significantly longer in test practice s ( test 199 days , control 167 ) , and a smaller percentage dropped out of active treatment in test practice s ( test 37.5 % , control 42.1 % ) . For patients with " moderate " hypertension of a baseline diastolic pressure of greater than 104 mm Hg the mean score of the last recorded pressure was below the goal of 90 mm Hg in test practice s ( 88.5 mm Hg ) , but it failed to reach this goal in control practice s ( 93.3 mm Hg ) . A greater average reduction of diastolic pressure was achieved in test practice s ( test 21.7 mm Hg , control 16.7 mm Hg ) . Though patients with " moderate " hypertension were better controlled in test practice s than in control practice s , the patients in test practice s visited their doctors less often ( test 13.3 visits per patient-year , control 17.4 visits ) . Among patients with newly detected hypertension test practice s achieved a greater reduction in diastolic pressure than control practice s ( test 15.1 mm Hg v control 11.3 mm Hg ) and more sustained control of hypertension ( test 323 days per patient-year with a diastolic pressure of 90 mm Hg or less v control 259 days )
: It seems that computers have a favourable effect on the uptake and follow up of patients in hypertension management .
STUDY OBJECTIVE : To assess the effect of computers and computer-based clinical decision support systems on the  management of hypertension .