Facilitating Genetics Aware Clinical Decision Support: Putting the eMERGE Infrastructure into Practice

Area of Science:

• Genomics
• Health Informatics
• Clinical Decision Support

Background:

• The electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) Network integrates genomic data with electronic health records.
• Case reports are valuable for assessing IT infrastructure and technology capabilities.
• This editorial contextualizes case reports on pharmacogenomics and EHR integration within the eMERGE Network.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize the activities and outputs of joint workgroups focused on EHR integration and pharmacogenomics.
• To provide context for published case reports in ACI Open.
• To highlight the role of case reports in informing infrastructure requirements and implementation strategies.

Main Methods:

• Summarizing activities and outputs of the NIH-funded eMERGE Network's workgroups.
• Analyzing case reports to identify IT infrastructure and technology requirements.
• Describing a framework for capturing progress in clinical decision support implementation.

Main Results:

• Workgroup activities informed infrastructure requirements for eMERGE phase III.
• Case reports identified potential hazards for clinical decision support (CDS) implementation.
• A framework was developed to consistently track CDS implementation progress.

Conclusions:

• Joint workgroups and case reports are essential for advancing EHR integration and pharmacogenomics.
• The eMERGE Network's experience provides a model for implementing clinical decision support.
• Standardized frameworks enhance the consistent implementation of health IT solutions.