Improve identification of patients with heart failure in general practice through data management
About this activity
Use the QI template below to improve the identification of patients with heart failure in general practice so that they can be managed according to evidence-based best practice.
Goal
To improve identification of patients with heart failure in our general practice.
Measures
The number or percentage of patients recorded as having heart failure at our start and end-dates.
Improvement ideas
- Use prescribed heart failure medications to identify patients with possible heart failure who are not currently coded in clinical software with a heart failure diagnosis:
- Identify possible uncoded heart failure patients by running a search query in your clinical software to detect patients on a combination of heart failure medications but who are not coded as having a heart failure diagnosis.
- This summary from Australian Prescriber may be useful in this context.
- Have the GP review patients identified to see if their diagnosis should be changed.
- Develop a consistent approach to coding of heart failure patients in your practice:
- Agree with the practice team on when to record a patient as having heart failure.
- Agree with the practice team as to which coding in the clinical software will be used for recording heart failure.
- For all new diagnoses of heart failure over a certain period (for instance, the next month) code in the clinical software as per the agreed approach.
Download the QI template below for more improvement ideas.
Download a template for this activity
Complete the form below to download the QI template and examples for this activity.
QI Activity Template - Improve identification of patients with heart failure in general practice through data management
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