Electronic Medical Records as a Research Tool: Evaluating Topiramate Use at a Headache Center.

Authors

Michael J. Marmura, MD, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Mary Hopkins, RN, MSN, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Jocelyn Andrel, MSPH, Thomas Jefferson University
William B. Young, MD, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
David M. Biondi, DO, Thomas Jefferson University
Marcia F.T. Rupnow, PhD, Thomas Jefferson University
Robert B. Armstrong, MD, Jefferson Headache Center

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-4-2010

Comments

This article has been peer reviewed. It is the authors' final version prior to publication in Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain. Volume 50, Issue 5, March 2010, Pages 769-778. The published version is available at DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2010.01624.x. Copyright © Wiley InterScience

Abstract

Background.—Electronic medical records (EMRs) are used in large healthcare centers to increase efficiency and accuracy of documentation. These databases may be utilized for clinical research or to describe clinical practices such as medication usage.

Methods.—We conducted a retrospective analysis of EMR data from a headache clinic to evaluate clinician prescription use and dosing patterns of topiramate. The study cohort comprised 4833 unique de-identified records, which were used to determine topiramate dose and persistence of treatment.

Results.—Within the cohort, migraine was the most common headache diagnosis (n = 3753, 77.7%), followed by tension-type headache (n = 338, 7.0%) and cluster or trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias (n = 287, 5.9%). Physicians prescribed topiramate more often for subjects with migraine and idiopathic intracranial hypertension (P < .0001) than for those with other conditions, and more often for subjects with coexisting conditions including obesity, bipolar disorder, and depression. The most common maintenance dose of topiramate was 100 mg/day; however, approximately 15% of subjects received either less than 100 mg/day or more than 200 mg/day. More than a third of subjects were prescribed topiramate for more than 1 year, and subjects with a diagnosis of migraine were prescribed topiramate for a longer period of time than those without migraine.

Conclusions.—Findings from our study using EMR demonstrate that physicians use topiramate at many different doses and for many off-label indications. This analysis provided important insight into our patient populations and treatment patterns.

Recommended Citation

Marmura, MD, Michael J.; Hopkins, RN, MSN, Mary; Andrel, MSPH, Jocelyn; Young, MD, William B.; Biondi, DO, David M.; Rupnow, PhD, Marcia F.T.; and Armstrong, MD, Robert B., "Electronic Medical Records as a Research Tool: Evaluating Topiramate Use at a Headache Center." (2010). Department of Neurology Faculty Papers. Paper 32.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/neurologyfp/32

PubMed ID

20236335