Improving Laboratory Monitoring at Initiation of Drug Therapy in Ambulatory Care

Results:Intheinterventiongroup,79.1%(n=4076;95% confidence interval [CI], 78.0%-80.2%) of dispensings weremonitoredcomparedwith70.2%(n=3522;95%CI, 68.9%-71.5%)intheusual-caregroup(P.001).Forexample,78.6%ofamiodarone(95%CI,73.1%-83.5%)dispensingwasmonitoredintheinterventiongroupvs51.4% (95%CI,44.4%-58.4%)inthegroupreceivingusualcare (P.001). Conclusions: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a computerized tool plus collaboration among health care professionals at increasing the percentage of patients receiving laboratory monitoring at initiation of therapy. Coupling data available from information systemswiththeknowledgeandskillsofphysiciansandpharmacists can result in improved patient monitoring. Arch Intern Med. 2005;165:2395-2401