Clinical decision support: from data to clinical information

The expense to document patient care in the operation room or in an intensive care unit increases permanently. A major disadvantage of the paper-based documentation in use up-to-now is that the problem-oriented evaluation of patient data carried out by the physician is only poorly supported. Therefore, clinical decision support of physicians during rounds in intensive care units is an example of how integration of advanced technology and medical knowledge can realise considerable improvements with respect to quality and efficiency of care. A problem-oriented overview page within a computer-based patient data management system improves clinical decision making. Based on previously configured selections, it graphically presents only those medication data, vital parameters and laboratory values which are necessary to assess a certain problem area, e.g. the state of the circulatory system. Evaluation results indicate that the proposed design enables a quick perception of the relevant clinical information.