Clinical Decision Support Systems

Clinical Decision Support Systems  Clinical Decision Support is a process for enhancing health-related decisions and actions with pertinent, organized clinical knowledge and patient information to improve health and healthcare delivery. [1]. Any decision is best made when all the facts are considered. In an effort to increase patient safety, Clinical Decision Support Systems can aid a physician to make the correct diagnosis and treatment plan. CDS systems utilize EMRs (Electronic Medical Records) along with Medical databases to produce medical treatment plans that would best suit the patient. The doctor will take this information and make the final decisions regarding treatment.  One of the major advantages of CDS systems is the access granted to clinicians. If you are visiting a family doctor it is likely they will have all of your medical history and can make informed decisions without the use of CDS. But in emergency situations, a patient could be incapacitated and not able to relay pertinent information such as drug allergies. EMR permits more than one user to access your record at the same time[2]. So while in the ambulance, the EMTs can access your information and at the same time the hospital can prepare for your arrival. With CDS, the Doctor can make a more informed decision because he has a greater understanding of the patient’s history.  As with any DSS, flexibility is key to the successful operation of CDS. Aside from patient history updates… Medical knowledge is expanding, new drugs and diagnoses are continually being discovered, and evidence-based guidelines change as new evidence is accumulated [3]. Database must be continually updated in order for the output to be correct. Frequent inaccurate alerts can lead the clinicians to ignore all of the CDS advice[3].  Knowledge management is vitally important for the DCS to function properly. Just as the Doctor cannot make an informed decision without all the facts, neither can the CDS.  In closing there are many advantages to CDS systems. Essentially CDS systems act as a second opinion that can aid your Doctor in making the best decision for you. The meta-analyses of studies of alerts and reminders for decision support have been fairly consistent in showing that they can alter clinician decisionmaking and actions, reduce medication errors, and promote preventive screening and use of evidence-based recommendations for medication prescriptions[3].   CDS systems offer information that aid Doctors in diagnosis and treatment of patients to ensure the best care possible. 1. http://www.himss.org/asp/topics_clinicalDecision.asp  2. http://www.ssmedcenter.com/about/emr.cfm 3. http://healthit.ahrq.gov/images/jun09cdsreview/09_0069_ef.html