Reducing EHR navigation time with an advanced hyperlipidemia management Tool: An evaluation of efficiency

Effective management of hyperlipidemia is crucial for preventing cardiovascular diseases. However, traditional monitoring systems often lack efficiency, particularly in navigating electronic health records (EHRs) to identify and track at-risk patients.

This study aims to evaluate the impact of a Hyperlipidemia Medication Reminder System (HLD-MRS) implemented in a district hospital to streamline EHR navigation and enhance patient management.

A pre-post prospective study was conducted at a district hospital. This study designed the HLD-MRS to integrate patient data, guideline recommendations, and risk factor assessments into a single interface, simplifying EHR navigation. This study compared EHR navigation times and patient tracking rates before and after HLD-MRS implementation across the Cardiology, Endocrinology, and Family Medicine departments.

Among 750 patients with follow-up appointments, 334 were identified as having HLD or being at high-risk status. The HLD-MRS significantly reduced mean EHR navigation time from 83.9 s (SD = 8.6) to 53.8 s (SD = 6.6) across all departments (p < 0.001). The proportion of actively monitored HLD patients increased from 42.5 % to 56.6 %, while cases with unknown or withheld assessment status decreased from 57.5 % to 28.4 %.

The HLD-MRS improved efficiency in EHR navigation and increased the frequency of active patient monitoring. This guideline-driven decision support system shows promise for enhancing hyperlipidemia care in high-volume outpatient settings.