title: Evaluation of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a clinical decision support system in managing hypertension in resource constrained primary health care settings: results from a cluster randomized trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Randomized control trials from the developed world report that clinical decision support systems (DSS) could provide an effective means to improve the management of hypertension (HTN). However, evidence from developing countries in this regard is rather limited, and there is a need to assess the impact of a clinical DSS on managing HTN in primary health care center (PHC) settings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We performed a cluster randomized trial to test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a clinical DSS among Indian adult hypertensive patients (between 35 and 64 years of age), wherein 16 PHC clusters from a district of Telangana state, India, were randomized to receive either a DSS or a chart-based support (CBS) system. Each intervention arm had 8 PHC clusters, with a mean of 102 hypertensive patients per cluster (n=845 in DSS and 783 in CBS groups). Mean change in systolic blood pressure (SBP) from baseline to 12 months was the primary endpoint. The mean difference in SBP change from baseline between the DSS and CBS at the 12th month of follow-up, adjusted for age, sex, height, waist, body mass index, alcohol consumption, vegetable intake, pickle intake, and baseline differences in blood pressure, was -6.59 mm Hg (95% confidence interval: -12.18 to -1.42; P=0.021). The cost-effective ratio for CBS and DSS groups was $96.01 and $36.57 per mm of SBP reduction, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinical DSS are effective and cost-effective in the management of HTN in resource-constrained PHC settings.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  http://www.ctri.nic.in. Unique identifier: CTRI/2012/03/002476.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Foundation of India - Indian Institute of Public Health, Hyderabad, India (R.A., H.P.) Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom (R.A., S.K., E.D.A.).
authors.forename: Raghupathy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Anchala
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom (R.A., S.K., E.D.A.).
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaptoge
authors.affiliation: Public Health Foundation of India - Indian Institute of Public Health, Hyderabad, India (R.A., H.P.).
authors.forename: Hira
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pant
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom (R.A., S.K., E.D.A.).
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Di Angelantonio
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (O.H.F.).
authors.forename: Oscar H
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Franco
authors.affiliation: Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi, India (P.) Center for Chronic Disease Control, New Delhi, India (P.).
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Prabhakaran
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000066491:Clinical Decision-Making / Q000379:methods; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D020000:Decision Support Systems, Clinical / Q000191:economics*; D005260:Female; D006295:Health Resources / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy*; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*
keywords: cluster randomized trials; computers; cost‐effectiveness; effectiveness; hypertension