Decision-making is an essential function in any line of business. It is even more so in healthcare, as each decision can determine the type and quality of care. There is a rise in demand for quality care by leveraging technologies, per the market trends. The global clinical decision support systems market was valued at $4.48 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.4% from 2022 to 2030.

The U.S. patient-care study, released in 2016, explored death-rate data for eight consecutive years. The researchers discovered that based on a total of 35,416,020 hospitalizations, a pooled incidence rate of 251,454 deaths per year — or about 9.5 percent of all deaths — stemmed from medical error. Clinical decision-making is critical to giving patients the proper care at the right time and can ultimately save lives.

Here are 4 reasons why clinical decision support needs to be considered:

Elevate quality of care 

About $30 billion is spent yearly on improper care due to misdiagnosis. Integrating a clinical decision support system can allow clinicians to make precise decisions on the amount of dose, order the proper tests, and give the proper referrals to reduce healthcare costs for patients, reduce physician burnouts, and ultimately give high-quality care at the right time. Clinical decision support systems are most effective when integrated into provider and clinical workflows.

Significant reduction in medication errors

The lack of accurate medication doses has led to low quality of care, especially in the emergency departments. Determining the correct dosage, which involves complex calculation and memory of drug specificity, can be difficult, especially in emergency conditions. Giving clinicians access to drug-specific dosing calculators and complete drug monographs with age, weight, and disease can allow them to reduce medication errors and give the right amount of medication. Embedding this in a clinical workflow would make this process seamless and efficient.

Reliable information at the point of care 

Providers are equipped with sufficient knowledge and experience, so a leveraged platform with evidence-backed knowledge at the point of care can empower them to make the right decision at the right time, especially in critical care. This process is time-consuming and confusing if providers are expected to search the internet or gain second and third opinions from other physicians. It can be less accurate for the given subject, ultimately taxing our healthcare system and not providing exceptional and good quality care to our population.

Accurate lab orders 

Integrating a clinical decision support system to track lab orders given by providers against industry benchmarked clinical lab standards reduces care variation and improves order accuracy. The CDS will alert providers if they are aligned with the standards and deflect from the appropriate care. Integrating this into providers’ workflow would be reduced care, higher healthcare costs, clinicians burnout, and improved patient outcomes.

One stop data shop

Accessing medical resources for reference can be tedious, and most of these resources are not updated. An electronic system where all these resources are validated and updated frequently empowers physicians to focus on the latest treatment and give proper high-value care. This system is purely a methodology to complement a physician’s skill set and knowledge, not a replacement.

To err is human. However, to err in healthcare can cost human life. Clinical decision support is to complement our hardworking healthcare workers. Integrating them into workflows can save lives.

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