Computerized clinical decision support systems (CCDSSs) match the characteristics of patients to a computerized medical knowledge base and provide recommendations to clinicians for consideration. Proponents of CCDSSs claim that they help with the accuracy and consistency of clinical decisions and so improve the process of care and the outcomes of patients. Such claims are similar to those of other health interventions – both drugs and devices – and, in our view, ought to be tested to the same standard as other health claims, namely, in rigorous trials that minimize bias. Many such trials exist and the pace of publication is increasing. We sought to summarize the results of these trials. The detailed methods for our systematic review have been previously published here.
This series assesses the effects of CCDSSs on the process of care and the outcomes of patients for 6 domains of clinical practice: Primary prevention; Diagnostic test ordering; Drug ordering; Therapeutic drug monitoring; Acute care; Chronic disease management.
This collection of articles has not been sponsored and articles have undergone the journal’s standard peer review process.