Advances in Clinical Decision Support Systems: Contributions from the 2023 Literature

To summarize significant research contributions published in 2023 in the field of clinical decision support (CDS) systems and to select the best papers for the Decision Support section of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) Yearbook 2024.

We refreshed a previous search query for identifying CDS research using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms and related keywords. The query was executed in PubMed in January 2024. Two reviewers reviewed the search results in three stages: title-based triaging, followed by abstract screening, and then full text review. The resulting articles were sent for external review to identity best paper candidates.

We retrieved 1948 articles related to CDS, of which four articles were selected as candidates for best papers. The general themes of the final three best papers were (1) improving transfer or discharge timeliness for children in pediatric intensive care units (ICUs), (2) improving acute kidney injury outcomes using medication-targeted interventions, (3) evaluating the safety of medication-related CDS in outpatient settings, and (4) demonstrating potential use cases for CDS in spaceflight missions.

Our synopsis highlighted the application of CDS in environments ranging from primary care to pediatric ICUs, and even spaceflight, addressing conditions such as acute kidney injury and bronchiolitis. Ongoing evaluation of the safety and effectiveness of these systems continues to be a central focus of CDS implementation efforts.