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Published on: September 26, 2018

Hypertension and medical informatics

William McBride1, Carlos Ferrario, Paulette A Lyle

  • 1Merck & Co. Inc., Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, USA. william_mcbride@merck.com

Journal of the National Medical Association
|December 4, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Medical informatics shows promise for improving hypertension management, especially in underserved populations. Further integration of technology is expected to enhance chronic disease care.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Informatics
  • Public Health
  • Cardiovascular Disease Management

Background:

  • Hypertension affects 27% of Americans, with higher prevalence and poorer control in African Americans.
  • Hypertension poses a significant burden on patients and healthcare systems.
  • Current hypertension management requires improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the utility, status, and future potential of medical informatics in hypertension management.
  • To highlight the impact of informatics on patient and physician care.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of English-language studies from 1993-2002.
  • PubMed search using terms like hypertension, medical informatics, and electronic medical records.
  • Inclusion of current Internet-based information.

Main Results:

  • Medical informatics demonstrates a favorable impact on healthcare.
  • Early applications of informatics in hypertension management show clinical value.
  • Computer-assisted management of hypertension is still in its early stages.

Conclusions:

  • Hypertension management needs significant improvement.
  • Expanding use of computers and the Internet in healthcare is anticipated to positively impact chronic disease management.
  • Medical informatics offers a promising avenue for enhancing hypertension treatment and control.
Abstract

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