The use of information technology in managing patients with coronary heart disease

The publication Information for Health provided a detailed exposition of the government's requirements for modernising the NHS from an information point of view.1 Furthermore, it described how information technology (IT) can be harnessed to support the process of patient care, involving the use of both the Electronic Patient Record (EPR) and Electronic Health Record (EHR). However, it is widely recognised that clinical computer systems in primary care are dramatically underutilised, and computerised patient records are of variable quality and reliability. One important factor has been the lack of training and support available to ensure greater use of IT (i.e. the clinical computer systems). Steps are being taken in Teesside to address this problem; the prime objective of which is to support practices to make greater use of their IT investment, and with particular reference to the national service framework (NSF) on coronary heart disease (CHD).