Guideline-based Clinical Decision Support System Research Articles

Leveraging Rule-Based NLP to Translate Textual Reports as Structured Inputs Automatically Processed by a Clinical Decision Support System.

Using clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) for breast cancer management necessitates to extract relevant patient data from textual reports which is a complex task although efficiently achieved by machine learning but black box methods. We proposed a rule-based natural language processing (NLP) method to automate the translation of breast cancer patient summaries into structured patient profiles suitable for input into the guideline-based CDSS of the DESIREE project. Our method encompasses named entity recognition (NER), relation extraction and structured data extraction to systematically organize patient data. The method demonstrated strong alignment with treatment recommendations generated for manually created patient profiles (gold standard) with only 2% of differences. Moreover, the NER pipeline achieved an average F1-score of 0.9 across the main entities (patient, side, and tumor), of 0,87 for relation extraction, and 0.75 for contextual information, showing promising results for rule-based NLP.

Verification of a clinical decision support system for the diagnosis of headache disorders based on patient–computer interactions: a multi-center study

BackgroundAlthough headache disorders are common, the current diagnostic approach is unsatisfactory. Previously, we designed a guideline-based clinical decision support system (CDSS 1.0) for diagnosing headache disorders. However, the system requires doctors to enter electronic information, which may limit widespread use.MethodsIn this study, we developed the updated CDSS 2.0, which handles clinical information acquisition via human–computer conversations conducted on personal mobile devices in an outpatient setting. We tested CDSS 2.0 at headache clinics in 16 hospitals in 14 provinces of China.ResultsOf the 653 patients recruited, 18.68% (122/652) were suspected by specialists to have secondary headaches. According to “red-flag” responses, all these participants were warned of potential secondary risks by CDSS 2.0. For the remaining 531 patients, we compared the diagnostic accuracy of assessments made using only electronic data firstly. In Comparison A, the system correctly recognized 115/129 (89.15%) cases of migraine without aura (MO), 32/32 (100%) cases of migraine with aura (MA), 10/10 (100%) cases of chronic migraine (CM), 77/95 (81.05%) cases of probable migraine (PM), 11/11 (100%) cases of infrequent episodic tension-type headache (iETTH), 36/45 (80.00%) cases of frequent episodic tension-type headache (fETTH), 23/25 (92.00%) cases of chronic tension-type headache (CTTH), 53/60 (88.33%) cases of probable tension-type headache (PTTH), 8/9 (88.89%) cases of cluster headache (CH), 5/5 (100%) cases of new daily persistent headache (NDPH), and 28/29 (96.55%) cases of medication overuse headache (MOH). In Comparison B, after combining outpatient medical records, the correct recognition rates of MO (76.03%), MA (96.15%), CM (90%), PM (75.29%), iETTH (88.89%), fETTH (72.73%), CTTH (95.65%), PTTH (79.66%), CH (77.78%), NDPH (80%), and MOH (84.85%) were still satisfactory. A patient satisfaction survey indicated that the conversational questionnaire was very well accepted, with high levels of satisfaction reported by 852 patients.ConclusionsThe CDSS 2.0 achieved high diagnostic accuracy for most primary and some secondary headaches. Human–computer conversation data were well integrated into the diagnostic process, and the system was well accepted by patients. The follow-up process and doctor–client interactions will be future areas of research for the development of CDSS for headaches.

Development and evaluation of a mobile-based asthma clinical decision support system to enhance evidence-based patient management in primary care

BackgroundDespite tremendous efforts, satisfactory adherence to asthma care guidelines has remained an unmet need worldwide. There is a growing body of evidence that applying informatics-based solutions such as clinical decision support systems (CDSS) could enhance guideline adherence. The main objectives of our research include proposing a framework for translating evidence into a guideline-based CDSS and developing an asthma-specific CDSS based on the proposed framework. MethodsThe stepwise framework for those who want to implement guideline-based CDSS in form of a simple-to-use application was described in this research. Nested decision tree modeling was performed in an iterative process to model patient-related decisions under expert consultation. Six expert panel members were asked to evaluate the application based on actual patient data, once based on paper-based guidelines, and once based on the expert system to calculate the accuracy of our CDSS. In the usability evaluation phase, evaluators completed tasks based on the think-aloud protocol to find usability problems. Then, to determine the level of usability a standard SUS questionnaire was applied. ResultsIn total, 28 clinical decision trees (CDTs) and more than 220 rules were necessary to cover the whole guideline. Moreover, 336 knowledge statements were extracted from the GINA guideline. After modification with feedback from seven experts, our application was developed on the Android Platform. For asthma diagnosis, CDSS had a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 100%, 86.71%, and 93.33%, respectively. The think-aloud usability evaluation revealed that the total problems (n = 32) were classified deductively into layout problems (43.8%), terminology problems (9.4%), data entry problems (18.8%), and comprehensiveness problems (28.1%). The overall usability score level was 90.22(±9.487), while learnability and usability scores were 4.43 and 4.52 out of 5, respectively. ConclusionThe ginasthma mobile-based CDSS can provide healthcare providers with an automated individualized action plan by combining patient data with embedded knowledge from the GINA guidelines with high accuracy.

How are ontologies implemented to represent clinical practice guidelines in clinical decision support systems: protocol for a systematic review

BackgroundClinical practice guidelines are statements which are based on the best available evidence, and their goal is to improve the quality of patient care. Integrating clinical practice guidelines into computer systems can help physicians reduce medical errors and help them to have the best possible practice. Guideline-based clinical decision support systems play a significant role in supporting physicians in their decisions. Meantime, system errors are the most critical concerns in designing decision support systems that can affect their performance and efficacy. A well-developed ontology can be helpful in this matter. The proposed systematic review will specify the methods, components, language of rules, and evaluation methods of current ontology-driven guideline-based clinical decision support systems.MethodsThis review will identify literature through searching MEDLINE (via Ovid), PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, ScienceDirect, IEEEXplore, and ACM Digital Library. Gray literature, reference lists, and citing articles of the included studies will be searched. The quality of the included studies will be assessed by the mixed methods appraisal tool (MMAT-version 2018). At least two independent reviewers will perform the screening, quality assessment, and data extraction. A third reviewer will resolve any disagreements. Proper data analysis will be performed based on the type of system and ontology engineering evaluation data.DiscussionThe study will provide evidence regarding applying ontologies in guideline-based clinical decision support systems. The findings of this systematic review will be a guide for decision support system designers and developers, technologists, system providers, policymakers, and stakeholders. Ontology builders can use the information in this review to build well-structured ontologies for personalized medicine.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42018106501

Methods Used to Compare Narrative Clinical Practice Guidelines: A Scoping Review.

Guideline-based clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) need the most recent evidence for reliable performance, making the provision of regularly updated clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) a major issue. Some international guidelines are renewed in short intervals and can be used for checking the status of given national guidelines with regard to the most recent evidence. Considering the volume of medical data and the number of CPGs published, computerized comparison of clinical guidelines can be an effective method. We performed a scoping review to evaluate the methods used for comparing two CPGs. We searched for methods for extracting CPG components and for methods used for comparing CPGs at different levels of abstraction. In each case, computerized and semi-computerized methods were recognized. Expert knowledge has yet a determinant role for assessing the comparisons, this role being more prominent for the extraction of semantic rules and the resolution of inconsistencies.

System for Context-Specific Visualization of Clinical Practice Guidelines (GuLiNav): Concept and Software Implementation.

BackgroundClinical decision support systems often adopt and operationalize existing clinical practice guidelines leading to higher guideline availability, increased guideline adherence, and data integration. Most of these systems use an internal state-based model of a clinical practice guideline to derive recommendations but do not provide the user with comprehensive insight into the model.ObjectiveHere we present a novel approach based on dynamic guideline visualization that incorporates the individual patient’s current treatment context.MethodsWe derived multiple requirements to be fulfilled by such an enhanced guideline visualization. Using business process and model notation as the representation format for computer-interpretable guidelines, a combination of graph-based representation and logical inferences is adopted for guideline processing. A context-specific guideline visualization is inferred using a business rules engine.ResultsWe implemented and piloted an algorithmic approach for guideline interpretation and processing. As a result of this interpretation, a context-specific guideline is derived and visualized. Our implementation can be used as a software library but also provides a representational state transfer interface. Spring, Camunda, and Drools served as the main frameworks for implementation. A formative usability evaluation of a demonstrator tool that uses the visualization yielded high acceptance among clinicians.ConclusionsThe novel guideline processing and visualization concept proved to be technically feasible. The approach addresses known problems of guideline-based clinical decision support systems. Further research is necessary to evaluate the applicability of the approach in specific medical use cases.

The development and implementation of a guideline-based clinical decision support system to improve empirical antibiotic prescribing

BackgroundTo describe and evaluate a clinical decision support system (CDSS) for empirical antibiotic therapy using a systematic framework.MethodsA reporting framework for behavior change intervention implementation was used, which includes several domains: development, evaluation and implementation. Within the development domain a description is given of the engagement of stakeholders, a rationale for how the CDSS may influence antibiotic prescribing and a detailed outline of how the system was developed. Within the evaluation domain a technical validation is performed and the interaction between potential users and the CDSS is analyzed. Within the domain of implementation a description is given on how the CDSS was tested in the real world and the strategies that were used for implementation and adoption of the CDSS.ResultsDevelopment: a CDSS was developed, with the involvement of stakeholders, to assist empirical antibiotic prescribing by physicians. Evaluation: Technical problems were determined during the validation process and corrected in a new CDSS version. A usability study was performed to assess problems in the system-user interaction. Implementation: In 114 patients the antibiotic advice that was generated by the CDSS was followed. For 54 patients the recommendations were not adhered to.ConclusionsThis study describes the development and validation of a CDSS for empirical antibiotic therapy and shows the usefulness of the systematic framework for reporting CDSS interventions. In addition it shows that CDSS recommendations are not always adhered to which is associated with incorrect use of the system.

Design and Implementation of a Guideline-Based Workflow Software System for Improving the Chemotherapy Process

Background: While chemotherapy is an effective method for the treatment of patients with cancer, it is a complex, multidisciplinary, and error-prone process. Paper-based protocols are commonly applied in chemotherapy; however, they fail to eliminate the complexity of this process. Therefore, a new guideline-based workflow software (GWS) system is needed to improve the workflow and quality of chemotherapy process. Methods: Planning was initiated 11 months before the system implementation and it involved a multidisciplinary group to analyze the current chemotherapy workflow and protocols for identifying the workflow components, analyzing paper-based protocols, developing computer-based protocols, and designing of systems based on an object-oriented analysis. To implement the GWS, we applied a system based on Python programming language and SQL language. Results: The conceptual model was developed based on need assessments and chemotherapy steps. A minimum dataset was developed for the electronic health records. We established examination forms for the patient management system (PMS), as well as specific standard forms for chemotherapy ordering, prescription verification and administration templates. Finally, developed GWS system consisted of a PMS, computerized provider order entry (CPOE), prescription verification system (PVS), and nursing administration system (NAS). Conclusions: A PMS, a PVS, a NAS, and a guideline-based clinical decision support system were integrated into the CPOE system to improve the chemotherapy process. Elimination of iterations and unnecessary steps in old chemotherapy workflow, improving patient safety, improvement of communication and coordination between healthcare providers, and use of updated evidence-based medicine in direct chemotherapy orders justify the deployment of GWS in the cancer care settings.

Deep Learning, a Not so Magical Problem Solver: A Case Study with Predicting the Complexity of Breast Cancer Cases.

Using guideline-based clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) has improved clinical practice, especially during multidisciplinary tumour boards (MTBs) in cancer patient management. However, MTBs have been reported to be overcrowded, with limited time to discuss all cases. Complex breast cancer cases that need further MTB discussions should have priority in the organization of MTBs. In order to optimize MTB workflow, we attempted to predict complex cases defined as non-compliant cases despite the use of the decision support system OncoDoc. After previously obtaining insufficient performance with machine learning algorithms, we tested Multi Layer Perceptron for classification, compared various samplers to compensate data imbalance combined with cross- validation, and optimized all models with hyperparameter tuning and feature selection with no improvement and lacklustre results (F1-score: 31.4%).

Are Semantic Annotators Able to Extract Relevant Complexity-Related Concepts from Clinical Notes?

Clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) implementing cancer clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have the potential to improve the compliance of decisions made by multidisciplinary tumor boards (MTB) with CPGs. However, guideline-based CDSSs do not cover complex cases and need time for discussion. We propose to learn how to predict complex cancer cases prior to MTBs from breast cancer patient summaries (BCPSs) resuming clinical notes. BCPSs being unstructured natural language textual documents, we implemented four semantic annotators (ECMT, SIFR, cTAKES, and MetaMap) to assess whether complexity-related concepts could be extracted from clinical notes. On a sample of 24 BCPSs covering 35 complexity reasons, ECMT and MetaMap were the most efficient systems with a performance rate of 60% (21/35) and 49% (17/35), respectively. When using the four annotators in sequence, 69% of complexity reasons were extracted (24/35 reasons).

Visualization of Guideline-Based Decision Support for the Management of Pressure Ulcers in Nursing Homes.

Though a preventable risk, the management of pressure ulcers (PUs) in nursing homes is not satisfactory due to inadequate prevention and complex care plans. PUs early detection and wound assessment require to know the patient condition and risk factors and to have a good knowledge of best practices. We built a guideline-based clinical decision support system (CDSS) for the prevention, the assessment, and the management of PUs. Clinical practice guidelines have been modeled as decision trees and formalized as IF-THEN rules to be triggered by electronic health record (EHR) data. From PU assessment yielded by the CDSS, we propose a synthetic visualization of PU current and previous stages as a gauge that illustrates the different stages of PU continuous evolution. This allows to display PU current and previous stages to inform health care professionals of PU updated assessment and support their evaluation of previously delivered care efficiency. The CDSS will be integrated in NETSoins nursing homes EHR where gauges for several health problems constitute a patient dashboard.

Creating Synthetic Patients to Address Interoperability Issues: A Case Study with the Management of Breast Cancer Patients.

Interoperability issues are common in biomedical informatics. Reusing data generated from a system in another system, or integrating an existing clinical decision support system (CDSS) in a new organization is a complex task due to recurrent problems of concept mapping and alignment. The GL-DSS of the DESIREE project is a guideline-based CDSS to support the management of breast cancer patients. The knowledge base is formalized as an ontology and decision rules. OncoDoc is another CDSS applied to breast cancer management. The knowledge base is structured as a decision tree. OncoDoc has been routinely used by the multidisciplinary tumor board physicians of the Tenon Hospital (Paris, France) for three years leading to the resolution of 1,861 exploitable decisions. Because we were lacking patient data to assess the DESIREE GL-DSS, we investigated the option of reusing OncoDoc patient data. Taking into account that we have two CDSSs with two formalisms to represent clinical practice guidelines and two knowledge representation models, we had to face semantic and structural interoperability issues. This paper reports how we created 10,681 synthetic patients to solve these issues and make OncoDoc data re-usable by the GL-DSS of DESIREE.

Predicting Optimal Hypertension Treatment Pathways Using Recurrent Neural Networks

BackgroundIn ambulatory care settings, physicians largely rely on clinical guidelines and guideline-based clinical decision support (CDS) systems to make decisions on hypertension treatment. However, current clinical evidence, which is the knowledge base of clinical guidelines, is insufficient to support definitive optimal treatment. ObjectiveThe goal of this study is to test the feasibility of using deep learning predictive models to identify optimal hypertension treatment pathways for individual patients, based on empirical data available from an electronic health record database. Materials and MethodsThis study used data on 245,499 unique patients who were initially diagnosed with essential hypertension and received anti-hypertensive treatment from January 1, 2001 to December 31, 2010 in ambulatory care settings. We used recurrent neural networks (RNN), including long short-term memory (LSTM) and bi-directional LSTM, to create risk-adapted models to predict the probability of reaching the BP control targets associated with different BP treatment regimens. The ratios for the training set, the validation set, and the test set were 6:2:2. The samples for each set were independently randomly drawn from individual years with corresponding proportions. ResultsThe LSTM models achieved high accuracy when predicting individual probability of reaching BP goals on different treatments: for systolic BP (<140 mmHg), diastolic BP (<90 mmHg), and both systolic BP and diastolic BP (<140/90 mmHg), F1-scores were 0.928, 0.960, and 0.913, respectively. ConclusionsThe results demonstrated the potential of using predictive models to select optimal hypertension treatment pathways. Along with clinical guidelines and guideline-based CDS systems, the LSTM models could be used as a powerful decision-support tool to form risk-adapted, personalized strategies for hypertension treatment plans, especially for difficult-to-treat patients.

Architecture for a Multimodal and Domain-Independent Clinical Decision Support System Software Development Kit.

Digitalization of the decision-making process in healthcare has been promoted to improve clinical performance and patient outcomes. The implementation of Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) using Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSSs) is widely developed in order to achieve this purpose within clinical information systems. Nevertheless, due to several factors such as (i) incompleteness of CPG clinical knowledge, (ii) out-of-date contents, or (iii) knowledge gaps for specific clinical situations, guideline-based CDSSs may not completely satisfy clinical needs. The proposed architecture aims to cope with guideline knowledge gaps and pitfalls by harmonizing different modalities of decision support (i.e. guideline-based CDSSs, experience-based CDSSs, and data mining-based CDSSs) and information sources (i.e. CPGs and patient data) to provide the most complete, personalized, and up-to-date propositions to manage patients. We have developed a decisional event structure to retrieve all the information related to the decision-making process. This structure allows the tracking, computation, and evaluation of all the decisions made over time based on patient clinical outcomes. Finally, different user-friendly and easy-to-use authoring tools have been implemented within the proposed architecture to integrate the role of clinicians in the whole process of knowledge generation and validation. A use case based on Breast Cancer management is presented to illustrate the performance of the implemented architecture.

Development A Guideline-based Decision Support System to Diagnosis of Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases

Introduction: Primary immunodeficiency diseases (PID) are generally rare genetic disorders affecting the immune system. Overlapping PIDs symptoms and signs is a challenge to diagnosis and treatment. On the other hand, remembering of all diagnosis criteria is difficult for practitioners. The purpose of this research is developing guideline-based clinical decision support system for diagnosis of primary immune deficiency diseases, to assist practitioner in order to diagnose of disease in early stage and to minimize complications of such diseases.Material and Methods: To provide data a checklist was used and most important demographic information, symptoms, family history, physical findings and laboratory findings to diagnose eight common PIDs extracted from guidelines and literature under specialists opinion. The diagnosis inference model design and develop in Protégé (version 3.4.8) frame based ontology modeling using "Noy and McGuinness" method. Then the mobile based inference model in Eclipse (SDK version 3.7.1) software has been developed and clinical decision support system of primary immunodeficiency has been created.Results: To design the diagnosis inference model in Protégé software, data were classified in 5 main classes and 24 subclasses as hierarchical. Then, specific properties of each class, and determine the value of each property. Then define Instances of each class and initialized instance properties. Then use this model to develop CDSS based on mobile in Eclipse software. At the end, the inference model and the CDSS test with 110 patient’s record data and both of them recognized all 110 patient correctly such as specialist recognition.Conclusion:Guideline-based decision support systems help to detect diseases correctly, quickly and early. Guideline-based decision support systems are very reliable to practitioner, because guidelines are accepted to their. These systems reduce the forget probability of diagnosis stages and percentage error of diagnosis by practitioner and increase the accuracy of diagnosis.

Development A Guideline-based Decision Support System to Diagnosis of Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases

Introduction: Primary immunodeficiency diseases (PID) are generally rare genetic disorders affecting the immune system. Overlapping PIDs symptoms and signs is a challenge to diagnosis and treatment. On the other hand, remembering of all diagnosis criteria is difficult for practitioners. The purpose of this research is developing guideline-based clinical decision support system for diagnosis of primary immune deficiency diseases, to assist practitioner in order to diagnose of disease in early stage and to minimize complications of such diseases. Material and Methods: To provide data a checklist was used and most important demographic information, symptoms, family history, physical findings and laboratory findings to diagnose eight common PIDs extracted from guidelines and literature under specialists opinion. The diagnosis inference model design and develop in Protege (version 3.4.8) frame based ontology modeling using "Noy and McGuinness" method. Then the mobile based inference model in Eclipse (SDK version 3.7.1) software has been developed and clinical decision support system of primary immunodeficiency has been created. Results: To design the diagnosis inference model in Protege software, data were classified in 5 main classes and 24 subclasses as hierarchical. Then, specific properties of each class, and determine the value of each property. Then define Instances of each class and initialized instance properties. Then use this model to develop CDSS based on mobile in Eclipse software. At the end, the inference model and the CDSS test with 110 patient’s record data and both of them recognized all 110 patient correctly such as specialist recognition. Conclusion:Guideline-based decision support systems help to detect diseases correctly, quickly and early. Guideline-based decision support systems are very reliable to practitioner, because guidelines are accepted to their. These systems reduce the forget probability of diagnosis stages and percentage error of diagnosis by practitioner and increase the accuracy of diagnosis.

Use of mind maps and iterative decision trees to develop a guideline-based clinical decision support system for routine surgical practice: case study in thyroid nodules.

The study sought to develop a clinical decision support system (CDSS) for the treatment of thyroid nodules, using a mind map and iterative decision tree (IDT) approach to the integration of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs). Thyroid nodule CPGs of the American Thyroid Association and Korean Thyroid Association were analyzed by endocrine surgeons (domain experts) and computer scientists. Clinical knowledge from the CPGs was expressed using mind maps. The mind maps were analyzed and converted into IDTs. The final IDT was implemented as a set of candidate rules (3700) for a knowledge-based CDSS. The system was evaluated via a retrospective review of the medical records of 483 patients who had undergone thyroidectomy between January and December 2015 at a single tertiary center (Seoul National University Hospital Bundang, Korea). Concordance between CDSS recommendations and treatment in routine clinical practice was 78.9%. In the 21.1% discordant cases, deviation from the CDSS treatment recommendation was mainly attributable to (1) refusal of the patient to undergo total thyroidectomy and (2) conversion from lobectomy to total thyroidectomy following an unexpected histological finding during intraoperative frozen biopsy lymph node analysis. The present study demonstrated that a knowledge-based CDSS is feasible in the treatment of thyroid nodules. A high-quality knowledge-based CDSS was developed, and medical domain and computer scientists collaborated effectively in an integrated development environment. The mind map and IDT approach represents a pioneering method of integrating knowledge from CPGs.

Computerized Clinical Decision Support: Contributions from 2015.

To summarize recent research and select the best papers published in 2015 in the field of computerized clinical decision support for the Decision Support section of the IMIA yearbook. A literature review was performed by searching two bibliographic databases for papers related to clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) and computerized provider order entry (CPOE) systems. The aim was to identify a list of candidate best papers from the retrieved papers that were then peer-reviewed by external reviewers. A consensus meeting between the two section editors and the IMIA editorial team was finally conducted to conclude in the best paper selection. Among the 974 retrieved papers, the entire review process resulted in the selection of four best papers. One paper reports on a CDSS routinely applied in pediatrics for more than 10 years, relying on adaptations of the Arden Syntax. Another paper assessed the acceptability and feasibility of an important CPOE evaluation tool in hospitals outside the US where it was developed. The third paper is a systematic, qualitative review, concerning usability flaws of medication-related alerting functions, providing an important evidence-based, methodological contribution in the domain of CDSS design and development in general. Lastly, the fourth paper describes a study quantifying the effect of a complex, continuous-care, guideline-based CDSS on the correctness and completeness of clinicians' decisions. While there are notable examples of routinely used decision support systems, this 2015 review on CDSSs and CPOE systems still shows that, despite methodological contributions, theoretical frameworks, and prototype developments, these technologies are not yet widely spread (at least with their full functionalities) in routine clinical practice. Further research, testing, evaluation, and training are still needed for these tools to be adopted in clinical practice and, ultimately, illustrate the benefits that they promise.

Analyzing the "CareGap": assessing gaps in adherence to clinical guidelines in adult soft tissue sarcoma.

Clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) are gaining popularity as tools that assist physicians in optimizing medical care. These systems typically comply with evidence-based medicine and are designed with input from domain experts. Nonetheless, deviations from CDSS recommendations are abundant across a broad spectrum of disorders, raising the question as to why this phenomenon exists. Here, we analyze this gap in adherence to a clinical guidelines-based CDSS by examining the physician treatment decisions for 1329 adult soft tissue sarcoma patients in northern Italy using patient-specific parameters. Dubbing this analysis "CareGap", we find that deviations correlate strongly with certain disease features such as local versus metastatic clinical presentation. We also notice that deviations from the guideline-based CDSS suggestions occur more frequently for patients with shorter survival time. Such observations can direct physicians' attention to distinct patient cohorts that are prone to higher deviation levels from clinical practice guidelines. This illustrates the value of CareGap analysis in assessing quality of care for subsets of patients within a larger pathology.

Clinical decision support improves physician guideline adherence for laboratory monitoring of chronic kidney disease: a matched cohort study.

BackgroundGuidelines exist for chronic kidney disease (CKD) but are not well implemented in clinical practice. We evaluated the impact of a guideline-based clinical decision support system (CDSS) on laboratory monitoring and achievement of laboratory targets in stage 3–4 CKD patients.MethodsWe performed a matched cohort study of 12,353 stage 3–4 CKD patients whose physicians opted to receive an automated guideline-based CDSS with CKD-related lab results, and 42,996 matched controls whose physicians did not receive the CDSS. Physicians were from US community-based physician practices utilizing a large, commercial laboratory (LabCorp®).We compared the percentage of laboratory tests obtained within guideline-recommended intervals and the percentage of results within guideline target ranges between CDSS and non-CDSS patients. Laboratory tests analyzed included estimated glomerular filtration rate, plasma parathyroid hormone, serum calcium, phosphorus, 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-D), total carbon dioxide, transferrin saturation (TSAT), LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), blood hemoglobin, and urine protein measurements.ResultsPhysicians who used the CDSS ordered all CKD-relevant testing more in accord with guidelines than those who did not use the system. Odds ratios favoring CDSS ranged from 1.29 (TSAT) to 1.88 (serum phosphorus) [CI, 1.20 to 2.01], p < 0.001 for all tests. The CDSS impact was greater for primary care physicians versus nephrologists. CDSS physicians met guideline targets for LDL-C and 25-D more often, but hemoglobin targets less often, than non-CDSS physicians. Use of CDSS did not impact guideline target achievement for the remaining tests.ConclusionsUse of an automated laboratory-based CDSS may improve physician adherence to guidelines with respect to timely monitoring of CKD.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12882-015-0159-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.