Experts say success with CHF is now tied to information age
Experts say success with CHF is now tied to information age
Research, daily care depend on getting and using the right data
What do caregivers need to improve the services CHF patients receive today? Regardless of their particular station along the checkpoints of CHF treatment, many say it comes down to getting the right information and being able to use it well.
Pharmaceutical investigators, for example, had anticipated a spring approval of the new natriuretic peptide, Natrecor (nesiritide), to treat acute episodes of heart failure during hospitalization. The researchers produced plenty of information to show the preparation is effective. But regulators from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still need to know more about the risks associated with its use, especially with symptoms of hypotension.
Expecting to sail through the approval process, the investigators learned they needed to be more specific about how data were collected on patient side effects. They are now determining how to provide the information the FDA still needs for the drug’s approval.
Observers can call for a change in focus in the CHF data being collected.
Researchers have known for a long time that men and women develop and experience heart disease in distinct ways. New studies are showing some sex differences carry over into CHF care. But researchers say women have been severely underrepresented in heart failure studies and such information is just becoming available now. It will take much more investigation to provide caregivers with the missing data they need to get a better handle on women’s heart failure and how it relates to their male counterparts.
Collecting and acting on information has long been part of taking care of CHF patients. Today caregivers often take to the telephones to track patient status between formal office visits. But newer tools like e-mail, electronic patient files, and computer software can literally keep more lines of communication open between clinician and patient, so problems can be identified and patients realize people care about them.
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