Improved Resident Adherence to AAA Screening Guidelines via an Electronic Reminder

Area of Science:

• Vascular Surgery
• Preventive Medicine
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening significantly reduces mortality, yet adherence to guidelines remains suboptimal.
• A quality improvement initiative identified poor AAA screening and smoking history documentation in a resident clinic.
• Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems offer potential for improving guideline adherence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of an EMR-based electronic reminder system on AAA screening rates.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of a prospective intervention in improving adherence to AAA screening guidelines.

Main Methods:

• A Plan-Study-Do-Act cycle was employed for quality improvement.
• An electronic reminder was implemented in the EMR to prompt AAA screening.
• Retrospective chart reviews compared pre- and post-intervention screening rates using chi-square tests and odds ratios.

Main Results:

• The AAA screening rate increased by 27.8% post-intervention (40.3% vs. 12.5%, p = .002).
• Patients were 4.73 times more likely to be screened with the electronic reminder (OR = 4.73).
• A large effect size (Cohen's d = 0.86) indicated a significant improvement.

Conclusions:

• Electronic reminders integrated into EMR systems are effective in improving adherence to preventive screening measures.
• This simple technological addition can deliver evidence-based education and enhance screening rates.
• Implementing electronic reminders is a feasible strategy for improving AAA screening in clinical practice.