Health information technology needs direction

A new study that reviews more than four decades of medical journal articles about the impact of health information technology (HIT) and electronic communications on medication adherence concludes that while there is evidence to suggest that simple electronic reminders are an effective and low-cost means to improve adherence, there are few studies that show how HIT can be leveraged to more thoughtfully engage or motivate patients to take medications as prescribed.The study was published this week in the American Journal of Managed Care and is the result of a research partnership between Harvard University, Brigham and Women's Hospital and CVS Caremark - a three-year collaboration focused on developing a better understanding of patient behavior, particularly around medication adherence. According to the researchers, the study findings "highlight the disappointing state of evidence on a topic of substantial health importance." The researchers concluded that as the U.S. "invests substantially in the broad implementation of HIT, innovative adherence interventions built on the capabilities of HIT are essential and must be rigorously tested to identify applicable best practices."

********** Published: December 23, 2010 - Volume 9 - Issue 36