A Novel Use of an Electronic Differential Diagnosis Generator in the Emergency Department Setting

Introduction The ability of electronic differential diagnosis (DDx) tools to generate accurate diagnoses has been well established in simulation and primary care clinical environments. However, the use of such tools has not been well studied in the emergency department (ED). We aimed to characterize the use and perceptions of a DDx tool among emergency medicine (EM) clinicians who were newly provided with access to such a tool. Methods We performed a pilot study investigating the utilization of a DDx tool by clinicians in an ED setting shortly after the tool was introduced. After six months of use, retrospective data were analyzed to characterize the use of the tool among ED clinicians. The clinicians were also surveyed on their perceptions of the use of the tool in the ED setting. Results There were 224 total queries, which were regarding 107 unique patients. The most searched symptoms were related to constitutional, dermatologic, and gastrointestinal complaints whereas symptoms related to toxicology and trauma were less commonly searched. Survey respondents rated the tool favorably, and when not used, reported reasons including forgetting that the tool was available for use, not feeling the need to use the tool, and disruption to workflow. Conclusions Electronic DDx tools may have some utility in assisting ED clinicians in generating a DDx, however, clinician adoption and workflow integration are barriers to their utility.