An electronic reminder system that notifies physicians when patients need colorectal cancer tests failed to significantly increase screening rates, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Reuters reports.
Study Details
For the study, researchers analyzed colorectal cancer screening rates at eight Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals that deployed an electronic reminder system called Oncology Watch in 2008. The hospitals integrated Oncology Watch into VA’s electronic health record system to boost colorectal cancer screening rates and improve care.
Researchers examined each hospital’s colorectal cancer screening rates two years before and two years after the Oncology Watch system launched, and compared those rates with 121 VA hospitals nationwide that do not have the Oncology Watch system.
Study Findings
Researchers found that:
Accompanying Editorial
In an editorial accompanying the study, Marko Simunovic of McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, wrote that the study findings imply that “there doesn’t seem to be any benefit to Oncology Watch.”
However, he added that a randomized controlled trial would be necessary to verify that the electronic reminder system offers no benefits (Seaman, Reuters, 10/12).
Source: iHealthBeat
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