[International outcomes from attempts to implement a clinical decision support system in gastroenterology]

This study aimed at describing the recent experience acquired with the implementation and use of clinical decision support system in gastroenterology in order to determine the level of development, tests used and advantages that such a system can offer to the medical practice.

A search in the PubMed, LILACS and ISI Web of Knowledge databases for studies in decision-making support systems in gastroenterology including original papers produced from 2005 to 2010 was performed. A total of 104 scientific papers were retrieved initially. These were analyzed using inclusion and exclusion criteria, thus yielding nine studies for further analysis.

The clinical decision support system analyzed in the present study showed a great variety of clinical problems regarding the investigation of a disease and the determination of a diagnosis. Eighty-nine per cent of the studies showed experimental models for clinical decision support system development. Seventy-eight per cent of the studies described the outcomes obtained with artificial intelligence technique. Two studies compared the clinical decision support system performance with that of a doctor, and only one research work described a controlled study evidencing improvements in the medical practice.

The studies analyzed showed evidence of potential benefits that clinical decision support system can bring to the clinical practice. However, further controlled studies performed in medical day-to-day conditions and environment should be performed in order to provide more clear evidence of the usefulness of clinical decision support system in the medical practice.