Smart EHR reminders to help more people get statins for heart disease prevention
EHR Nudges: Optimizing a Clinical Decision Support System for Evidence-Based Statin Medication Prescribing to Reduce the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
This project will try using subtle electronic health record reminders to help doctors prescribe statins to people at risk for heart disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | New York University School of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11266213 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you get care at a participating clinic, researchers will add short, easy-to-understand prompts into the electronic health record to remind clinicians when statins are recommended for patients at risk of heart disease. The team will use behavioral "nudges" (like simpler defaults and opt-out options) designed to reduce clinician time and decision fatigue. They will test different nudge designs in real clinics, collect prescribing and EHR usage data, and get feedback from clinicians to improve the tool. The researchers will compare how often guideline-recommended statins are started before and after each nudge is used.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Patients eligible for guideline-recommended statin therapy because of high cardiovascular risk or established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease who receive care in participating clinics are the most likely candidates to benefit.
Not a fit: People who already take appropriate statin therapy or who do not receive care at participating health systems are unlikely to see direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, more patients who should be on statins could receive them, which may lower future heart attack and stroke risk.
How similar studies have performed: Prior work using behavioral nudges and EHR prompts has improved some prescribing behaviors, though applying optimized nudges specifically to increase statin starts is a relatively new application.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- New York University School of Medicine — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Richardson, Safiya — New York University School of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Richardson, Safiya
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.