Virtual e-referral cardiovascular clinics

Coventry PCT funded a pilot Virtual Cardiovascular Clinic project.

A summary of this innovative Telecare approach to cardiovascular prevention appears in the Area Blood Pressure Network Newsletter.

For information about Telecare approaches to cardiovascular prevention, please email Virtual CV Clinics.

Presentations

Nov 2007: Clinical Pharmacology Colloquium

Nov 2007: West Midlands Physicians Association

April 2008: London Hypertension Society

June 2008: British Cardiovascular Research Society

Project Summary

There is great national and international interest in ways to use electronic health methods both to improve care in patients and to aim for more cost effective ways to ease the burden of chronic diseases in the population. The Department of Health has recently invested £80m to catalyse new Telecare Research. We performed a pilot study at the University Hospital to develop an innovative Virtual Cardiovascular Clinic for patients who may benefit from advice on blood pressure management in more depth than that currently available in general practice or in primary care but where the patient did not currently appear to need face to face assessment in a standard outpatient clinic. Despite improvements arising from implementation of the new GMS contract in primary care, around 30% of patients with high blood pressure still have levels above General Practice General Medical Services [GMS] contract audit standards. In the first phase of this study, the project team visited sample practices to review electronic health records of patients above blood pressure audit standards. Following discussion among GP and hospital specialists, it appeared that around 1 in 3 of these patients (i.e. around 10% of hypertensives in a practice) could benefit from a “virtual” electronic assessment. Coventry PCT provided funding to allow a 3 month pilot assessment of the value of this new telecare approach to managing patients. In due course, this approach could be extended to referrals from other Primary Care Trusts as well within the University Hospital and from other acute Trust centres.