Promotion of prehospital emergency care through clinical decision support systems: opportunities and challenges

Clinical decision support systems are interactive computer systems for situational decision making and can improve decision efficiency and safety of care. We investigated the role of these systems in enhancing prehospital care. This narrative review included full-text articles published since 2000 that were available in databases/e-journals including Web of Science, PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. Search keywords included "clinical decision support system," "decision support system," "decision support tools," "prehospital care," and "emergency medical services." Non-journal articles were excluded. We revealed 14 relevant studies that used such a support system in prehospital emergency medical service. Owing to the dynamic nature of emergency situations, decision timing is critical. Four key factors demonstrated the ability of clinical decision support systems to improve decision-making, reduce errors, and improve the safety of prehospital emergency activity: computer-based, offer support as a natural part of the workflow, provide decision support in the time and place of decision making, and offer practical advice. The use of clinical decision support systems in prehospital care resulted in accurate diagnoses, improved patient triage and patient outcomes, and reduction of prehospital time. By improving emergency management and rescue operations, the quality of prehospital care will be enhanced.