Unlock the potential of clinical decision support systems

Topics: Clinical Decision Support, Electronic Medical Records Strategy, Information Technology

Peter Kilbridge, MD, Health Care IT Program Suite

Clinical decision support reality vs. potential

Why isn’t every provider thrilled with the results of clinical decision support (CDS)? After all, the benefits are well documented: fewer medication errors, shorter length of stay, greater patient safety. CDS should be loved by hospital administers, clinicians, and patients. But it isn’t. Yet.
 
Although some organizations–mainly large academic medical centers (AMCs)–have enjoyed tremendous success with CDS, most have failed to realize the full potential. There is no shortage of blame to go around. The vendor community has often prioritized rapid implementation over rigorous client training, leaving providers unable to tap the full power of a properly tuned CDS system. Providers typically underestimate the magnitude of organizational change required to incorporate new information technologies into tried and true clinical processes.
 
The typical result?  A CDS system that clashes with unchanged clinical processes by firing annoying alerts based on questionable data.