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Clinical decision support tools: focus on dietary supplement databases
Kevin A Clauson1, Amy S Peak, Wallace A Marsh
1Nova Southeastern University College of Pharmacy-West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA.
Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine
|June 4, 2008
Summary
This study evaluated four clinical decision support databases for dietary supplements. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database and Natural Standard performed best, highlighting the need for improved resources for clinicians.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology and Therapeutics
- Health Informatics
Background:
- Dietary supplements are widely used, yet clinical decision support tools for their evaluation vary in quality.
- Clinicians require reliable information to guide patient care regarding supplement use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the content and usability of online dietary supplement databases for clinical decision support.
- To identify knowledge gaps and inform the development of better resources for healthcare providers.
Main Methods:
- Four prominent online dietary supplement databases were evaluated using 102 question-and-answer pairs across 10 clinical categories.
- Criteria included scope, completeness, and ease of use, with a composite score integrating all three.
- Statistical analyses, including chi-square and Scheffe's multiple comparison procedure, were employed.
Main Results:
- Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database (84.3%) and Natural Standard (80.4%) demonstrated superior performance in answering clinical questions compared to AltMedDex (74.5%) and Lexi-Natural Products (53.9%).
- Completeness scores mirrored the performance hierarchy, with Lexi-Natural Products significantly underperforming.
- Composite scores indicated Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database (81.5%) and Natural Standard (76.9%) as leading resources.
Conclusions:
- Significant heterogeneity exists among dietary supplement databases, with a clear performance gap between top-tier and lower-tier resources.
- Clinicians may lack adequate tools to address patient inquiries about dietary supplements, necessitating improved clinical decision support systems.
- Further development of comprehensive and user-friendly databases is crucial for evidence-based practice in supplement therapy.
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