Laboratory for development of health information system
The objective of the research is to establish a data bank consisting of clinical data from patients with coronary artery disease. This extensive, longitudinal and reliable collection of data represents an aggregated clinical experience that can be shared with all health care providers. By matching clinical data from a new patient with data in a data bank, a homogeneous subgroup of patients similar to the new patient can be identified. By examining therapies applied and outcomes experienced by this subgroup the provider can make a more accurate prognosis and a more rational selection of therapy for the patient. Objective was achieved by establishing a data bank containing clinical data, including extended follow-up, on some 4,000 patients. The data bank is currently used by the Cardiology Department of Duke University for therapy selection and prognosis. Initial indications are that certain groups of patients have experienced an increase in survival time and a decrease in care costs. A following contract will enable Duke University to explore the exportability of this approach and perform a definitive evaluation.