Clinical Decision Support Tools' Impact on Healthcare Still Expanding
Although the tools are essentially "first generation," providers report optimism about the affect of clinical decision support (CDS) on workflow and patient care.

NEW ORLEANS, LA, December 03, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- With new EMR infrastructure under their heels and tightening budgets under their belts, providers are looking to new clinical decision support (CDS) tools to give better--not more--healthcare. But do CDS tools deliver? For the new KLAS report, "Clinical Decision Support 2011: Understanding the Impact," KLAS interviewed 344 providers to rate their CDS tools' performance and better understand the influence of these new CDS tools on patient care.

KLAS measured levels of impact by asking providers to rate their influence on clinical decisions and standardizing care. Provider response was passionate and, in some cases, polarized. The study found most tools did well in one of these main arenas, but rarely in both.

Measured CDS areas included care plans, diagnostic tools, disease reference tools, drug databases, drug reference tools, order sets, and surveillance tools. The study examined vendors such as Cerner, EBSCO, Elsevier, First DataBank, Isabel, Logical Images, Thomson Reuters, Wolters Kluwer, and Zynx.

Respondents say poor integration with clinical workflow is the Achilles heel hindering CDS success. Additionally, many reported issues with alert fatigue--politely describing it as an "overly sensitive mess."

Though every CDS segment had key struggles, KLAS noted that providers are optimistic about the future as CDS tools increase in workflow integration, usability, and adoption.

To learn more about the CDS market, including the strengths and weaknesses of different CDS solutions, the report "Clinical Decision Support 2011: Understanding the Impact" is available to healthcare providers online for a significant discount off the standard retail price. To purchase, healthcare providers and vendors can visit www.KLASresearch.com/reports.

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Andrea Morrill
KLAS
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