I don’t have a chance of experiencing anyDecision support systems DSS in my previous works. So, I would like to share about a DSS using at one of the medical centers in Taiwan when I was on hospital tour as industrial experience during my graduate study. DSS was used in the hospital to implement clinical pathways for specific diseases, such as dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and septic shock. They integrated DSS with the electronic medical record (EMR) system to provide clinicians with real-time guidance on how to manage patients according to the clinical pathway.
For example, when a patient with hematemesis and melena comes to the emergency room (ER), the DSS can be used to assess the patient’s condition and generate a personalized care plan based on the clinical pathway. The care plan may include specific orders for examinations, investigations, and treatments.
As the patient’s data is entered into the EMR system, the DSS can be used to monitor the patient’s progress and identify any deviations from the care plan. For example, if the patient’s hemoglobin level drops below a certain threshold, the DSS can alert the clinician to the need for a blood transfusion. The DSS can also calculate the amount of blood transfusion needed based on the patient’s hemoglobin level and the clinical pathway.
By using DSS, hospital can improve patient safety by ensuring that clinicians follow the clinical pathway, improve quality of care by providing them with real-time guidance on how to manage patients according to the clinical pathway, and reduce costs by preventing adverse events and improving the efficiency of care.
Factors that might influence the decision support system implementation in an organization are high cost of implementation and maintenance, complexity, integration with other healthcare systems and clinicians work flow.