A computer based, automated analysis of process and outcomes of diabetic care in 23 GP practices

The predicted prevalence of diabetes in Ireland by 2015 is 190,000. Structured diabetes care in general practice has outcomes equivalent to secondary care and good diabetes care has been shown to be associated with the use of electronic healthcare records (EHRs). This automated analysis of EHRs in 23 practices took 10 minutes per practice compared with 15 hours per practice for manual searches. Data was extracted for 1901 type II diabetics. There was valid data for >80% of patients for 6 of the 9 key indicators in the previous year. 543 (34%) had a Hba1c > 7.5%, 142 (9%) had a total cholesterol >6 mmol/l, 83 (6%) had an LDL cholesterol >4 mmol/l, 367 (22%) had Triglycerides > 2.2 mmol/l and 162 (10%) had Blood Pressure > 160/100 mmHg. Data quality and key indicators of care compare well with manual audits in Ireland and the U.K. electronic healthcare records and automated audits should be a feature of all chronic disease management programs.