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September 7, 2008Computerized reminder system drove up colon cancer screening rates, U-M study found |
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From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: A computerized reminder system used in community-based primary care doctors' offices increased colorectal cancer screening rates by an average of 9 percent, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Health System. The reminder system, called ClinfoTracker, was developed by family medicine doctors at UMHS to help track and manage primary care. The system encourages doctors and patients to follow guidelines for managing chronic diseases or for prevention screenings. In the current study, published in the September issue of Medical Care, ClinfoTracker was integrated into 12 primary care practices participating in the Great Lakes Research into Practice Network, a statewide practice-based research network in Michigan. The system printed reminders for patients who met general guidelines for colorectal cancer screening, based on age and history of prior screening. The reminders went to doctors only for eight of the practices and to doctors and patients for four of the practices. The study followed the practices for nine months. The researchers found that average screening rates at the beginning of the study were 41.7 percent. We found the ClinfoTracker system could fit relatively easily into routine patient care flow and was easy to implement into a practice," says study author Donald Nease, M.D., associate professor of family medicine at the U-M Medical School and co-creator of ClinfoTracker. Initially, ClinfoTracker was developed to help doctors track patients' clinical problems and preventive care over time. The ClinfoTracker software is being used commercially under the name Cielo Clinic at all five UMHS family medicine clinics, as well as at several other community practices and hospitals in Michigan.
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