Use of Electronic Personal Health Records to Improve Medication Adherence

Three brief newsletters will be sent by the research staff to the study patients in the form
of secure messages through their MyChart account. The newsletters will describe dabigatran
tolerability, adverse effects, patient monitoring, warnings/precautions, and administration.
Newsletters will be developed through a review of the FDA-approved prescribing information,
general tertiary references, and a search of PubMed and drafted with guidance from a Drug
Information Specialist at Manchester University College of Pharmacy as well as reviewed by
the research staff.

Descriptive analysis will be used to analyze the survey to assess patient attitudes and
beliefs about dabigatran and personal health records, as well as to assess the level of
patient engagement. Difference-in-difference regression analysis will be used to evaluate
the impact of the personal health record on dabigatran adherence by comparing the
differences between times (pre-post) and interventions. Patient medication adherence will be
correlated from the Pharmacy refill data to determine if the Intervention Group is more
compliant than the Control Group. Multivariate analysis will be used to explore factors
influencing personal health record use and dabigatran adherence.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Age ≥ 18 years

- Patient of Parkview Physicians Group-Cardiology

- Currently on dabigatran for non-valvular atrial fibrillation

- Out-patient status

- Ability to read and understand English

- Access to the Internet

- Ability to utilize the computer and Internet

- Willingness to enroll in a MyChart account

Exclusion Criteria:

- Physical or cognitive disability hindering provision of the informed consent process
or performance of study tasks

- Unable to physically or cognitively carry out the tasks necessary for activating
and/or utilizing a personal health record

- Designated as part of a vulnerable subject population that the investigator or
designee identifies to have compromised autonomy related to potential study
participation

- Currently part of another study involving another type of personal health record
(other than MyChart)