Abstracts from the XIIth Scientific Meeting of the Argentine Society of Arterial Hypertension

Epidemiologic Survillance of Cardiovascular Disease Mollar G, Cavalieri L, Galarza C, Waisman G, Beratarrechea A, Petrlik E, Langlois E, Soriano F, Marchetti M, and Gonzalez B de Quirós F Programas Médicos de Plan de Salud del Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires

To enhance efficacy of health care, surveillance activities are required, especially with chronic prevalent diseases. Epidemiologic surveillance allows US to quantify and qualify health problems, settle priorities, identify high risk groups, manage and monitor health care systems, detect frequency changes in events, and assess performance of prevention and disease management programs. We have developed a surveillance system that identifies and reports daily on patients having cardiovascular disease (CVD) who are uncontrolled.

Objective: To evaluate the accomplishment of blood pressure (BP) measurement in people with CVD belonging to a health care system included in an epidemiological surveillance list.

Design: Cohort study between 1/1/2004 and 9/1/2004.

Methods: Patients 60 years old or older identified by surveillance system during the first term of 2004, were followed up. Patients were identified as having CVD through electronic medical record using international classification for primary attention (ICPA).

Patients are reported by the software system when presenting any of the following criteria: no blood pressure record during the past 6 months, blood pressure above 140/90 in the last record, and if diabetic A1C above 7.5%.

The connection with the appointment system allowed us to detect previously the patient’s attendance and, 15 min before his or her medical appointment, send the patient to be examined by the executors of a chronic disease program, according to the JNC VII guidelines.

The BP measurement is a common intervention to most chronic diseases because it increases cardiovascular risk, hence it is considered a process indicator of the surveillance system.

Results: Of the 24,411 patients having CVD, 5506 (26%) were listed during the first term, mean age was 74 years and 65% were female. By the end of 2004, 4660 (85%) patients had blood pressure recorded with an average values of 136.76 mmHg for systolic and 77.51 for diastolic blood pressure. Blood pressure was assessed three times in average.

Conclusion: Surveillance system allowed identifying of and intervening in a high proportion of patients.