EHR-linked reminder system for glaucoma meds perceived useful

(HealthDay)—Patients with glaucoma generally find an electronic health record (EHR)-linked reminder system for glaucoma medications useful, according to a study published online Dec. 13 in JAMA Ophthalmology.

Varshini Varadaraj, M.B.B.S., from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues examined the feasibility of implementing an EHR-linked, automated reminder system for glaucoma medications in a prospective cross-sectional study. A web-based application was added to the EHR patient portal to allow patients to configure reminders for their glaucoma medications; 100 of 147 patients approached agreed to participate in the study.

The researchers found the only difference between those patients willing to participate and those who were unwilling was a slightly lower medication adherence rate among patients who participated (91 versus 97 percent). Nine percent of participants were classified as being at high risk for poor adherence based on a previously validated risk assessment score compared with 11 percent of nonparticipants. Ninety-four of the 100 participants configured reminders; 95 percent of these participants completed follow-up. Overall, 74, 15, and 11 percent of the participants found the reminders were useful, neutral, and not useful, respectively.

"Electronic health record-based automated text and phone reminders may be an important, affordable, scalable strategy to begin to address one critical factor—poor medication adherence—that leads to vision loss in glaucoma," write the authors of an accompanying editorial.