Using nursing clinical decision support systems to achieve meaningful use

Area of Science:

• Health Information Technology
• Clinical Informatics
• Healthcare Quality Improvement

Background:

• The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act incentivizes electronic health record (EHR) adoption.
• Demonstrating

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) process for developing and implementing a nursing clinical decision support (CDS) system.
• To improve adherence to hypoglycemia management guidelines within a hospital setting.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) quality improvement model.
• Developed and implemented a nursing clinical decision support rule focused on hypoglycemia management.
• Focused on meeting the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) meaningful use objective for CDS.

Main Results:

• Successfully implemented a nursing CDS system for hypoglycemia management.
• The PDSA process facilitated the creation and deployment of the CDS rule.
• The project aimed to improve guideline adherence for a high-priority condition.

Conclusions:

• The PDSA framework is effective for implementing nursing clinical decision support systems.
• This approach can help hospitals meet meaningful use objectives and improve patient outcomes.
• The methodology is adaptable for other high-priority conditions and CDS implementations.