PRIMIS is delighted to announce a new version of the Familial Hypercholesterolaemia quality improvement tool that enables pre-written searches to be run instantly using the EMIS Web reporting module.
This marks a significant improvement over MIQUEST queries which have to be scheduled to run overnight, thereby saving time and resources. This new version is now available to PRIMIS Hub members.
Practices can obtain the EMIS Web version of the tool via ‘Check for Updates’ within the CHART software. Further information, including instructions for use, can be found by clicking on ‘Run Other Searches’ within CHART.
Other quality improvement tools that already include EMIS Web searches are Diabetes Care and Warfarin Patient Safety. PRIMIS is working to convert all its quality improvement tools to include this functionality and is also introducing a variety of formats for its tools so CHART users will have greater choice and flexibility it for practices using all of the four major GP IT systems.
Background to Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH)
High cholesterol is known to increase risk of heart disease and much can be done to help patients who have developed high cholesterol to reduce their levels and keep these under control. However, the inherited condition (FH) means high cholesterol levels are present from birth. The British Heart Foundation suggests that about one in 250 people has FH and that 'most of them don’t even know they have it'.
The FH quality improvement tool has been designed to help practices case find patients who may have FH but who may be missing a coded diagnosis.
Around 60-90% of FH cases remain undiagnosed. If left untreated, about 50% of men and 30% of women with FH will develop coronary heart disease before they are 551.
Early identification and effective treatment of FH patients can help to ensure normal life expectancy.
PRIMIS' development of this tool was part supported by independent funding from Amgen.
The development of the FH quality improvement tool was developed in collaboration with the Applied Genetics and Ethnicity research group at The University of Nottingham. This tool is based on the FAMCAT algorithm2 developed by academics in the Applied Genetics and Ethnicity research group.
How to obtain the FH quality improvement tool
The FH quality improvement tool is free for all members of PRIMIS Hub and members can obtain this quality improvement tool via 'Check for updates' within CHART.
Footnotes
1 Youngblom E, Knowles JW. Familial Hypercholesterolemia. 2014 Jan 2. In: Pagon RA, Adam MP, Ardinger HH, et al., editors. GeneReviews [Internet]. Seattle (WA): University of Washington, Seattle; 1993-2015. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK174884/
2 Weng SF, Kai J, Neil HA, Humphries SE, Qureshi N. Improving identification of familial hypercholesterolaemia in primary care: Derivation and validation of the familial hypercholesterolaemia case ascertainment tool (FAMCAT). Atherosclerosis 2015; 238(2):336-43 doi:10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2014.12.034.
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