The main focus of MIS vs. DSS in research, on the internet and in textbooks is all about business and finance. Another major aspect of a DDS is the clinical system. Clinical DSSs are typically designed to integrate a medical knowledge base, patient data and an inference engine to generate case specific advice. [1]
Today, with healthcare issues in the forefront and meaningful use being a financial incentive force for hospitals to go electronic, choosing the correct Hospital Information System (HIS) is key for the success of the implementation and meeting the deadlines to qualify for the government stimulus money. These incentive programs are designed to support providers in this period of Health IT transition and instill the use of EHRs (Electronic Health Record) in meaningful ways to help our nation to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of patient health care [2]
These implementations have to meet calendar deadlines to qualify for quite possibly large sums of money all in the effort to standardize healthcare and promote evidence based practice. Choosing the right clinical DSS is vital to the success of a facility, can increase patient satisfaction and can improve productivity and workflow in the healthcare environment. These systems are customized according to each individual facility’s policy and procedures, state and federal guidelines and proper medical practice. A clinical DSS is data driven and can assist in rapid decision making, can provide input from both patient and physician and can provide reporting services based on the data input.
Computerized clinical decision support systems directly assist the clinician in making decisions about a specific patient. [3] Pharmaceutical decisions can be made directly upon ordering just by having a drug-to-drug interaction warning, allergy warnings, or over/under dose warnings built into the system. Parameters can be set on drugs according to heart rate or blood pressure and when the clinician enters the data, the interactions are viewed immediately. Many systems can be set up with “hard stops” to avoid medication errors and increase patient safety. The reporting services of a DSS can provide a plethora of information regarding all aspects of a patient’s care. Drug Interaction reports, medication error reports, nursing documentation reports and the like can provide information on the compliance of health care workers as well as identify problem areas early on so appropriate action can be taken to avoid incidents.
In every aspect of medicine, Clinical DSSs are used throughout the healthcare continuum. Physicians are able to review charts and be able to document those findings reviewed in the patient’s medical record in real time called Point of Care (POC).
A radiology system (RIS) is an example of another way the clinical DSS is used. Imbedding x-ray images into the patient’s medical record upon completion with interpretations all assist in diagnosis and treatment. The same holds true with a Cardiology system. An electrocardiogram can be performed, posted and reviewed in real time at the POC, which is timely, accurate and could very well be life-saving.
Of course, nothing will take the place of “hands on” medicine, but the technology now has not only improved patient care and outcomes but has increased the efficiency of the health care provider.
There is growing recognition that CDS, (Clinical Decision System) when well-designed and implemented, holds great potential to improve health care quality and possibly even increase efficiency and reduce health care costs. [4]
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