Implementation of a dashboard for monitoring health data at regional level in Italy

Background and Aims : Collection of epidemiological data and information on related healthcare is crucial to monitoring healthcare appropriateness and the fulfillment of clinical needs. This project aimed to implement a dashboard for epidemiological data collection, with a focus on patients with hypercholesterolemia.Methods: A linkage was created between health administrative data and laboratory tests results by the Regional Health Agency of Tuscany (Italy) to collect data from Local Health Districts on patients with hypercholesterolemia. Coexistence of type 2 diabetes (T2D), history of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACE) and/or peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and prescription/use of anti-hypercholesterolemic agents were monitored.Results: As of 2020, data from 7 Local Health Districts identified a cohort of 864,396 individuals. Overall, 11.0% of individuals had T2D and 11.1% experienced MACE and/or PAD. From 864.396 individuals, LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) data were available for 301.138 patients (34.8%). Less than one fifth (16.1%) of the cohort were on statins and/or ezetimibe. Untreated patients accounted for 37.5% of T2D-MACE and 50.7% of non-T2D-MACE patients, respectively. One% of patients received combinations of any statin + ezetimibe for at least 75% of treatment days. Among patients with LDL-C data, 87.2% with history of MACE didn’t achieved target LDL-C levels, which underlines an unmet clinical need in this very high-risk population.Conclusions: The implementation of a dashboard facilitated the collection of epidemiological and outcome data that are crucial to highlighting unmet clinical needs and implementing proactive and specific population health initiatives. Background and Aims : Collection of epidemiological data and information on related healthcare is crucial to monitoring healthcare appropriateness and the fulfillment of clinical needs. This project aimed to implement a dashboard for epidemiological data collection, with a focus on patients with hypercholesterolemia. Methods: A linkage was created between health administrative data and laboratory tests results by the Regional Health Agency of Tuscany (Italy) to collect data from Local Health Districts on patients with hypercholesterolemia. Coexistence of type 2 diabetes (T2D), history of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACE) and/or peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and prescription/use of anti-hypercholesterolemic agents were monitored. Results: As of 2020, data from 7 Local Health Districts identified a cohort of 864,396 individuals. Overall, 11.0% of individuals had T2D and 11.1% experienced MACE and/or PAD. From 864.396 individuals, LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) data were available for 301.138 patients (34.8%). Less than one fifth (16.1%) of the cohort were on statins and/or ezetimibe. Untreated patients accounted for 37.5% of T2D-MACE and 50.7% of non-T2D-MACE patients, respectively. One% of patients received combinations of any statin + ezetimibe for at least 75% of treatment days. Among patients with LDL-C data, 87.2% with history of MACE didn’t achieved target LDL-C levels, which underlines an unmet clinical need in this very high-risk population. Conclusions: The implementation of a dashboard facilitated the collection of epidemiological and outcome data that are crucial to highlighting unmet clinical needs and implementing proactive and specific population health initiatives.