Effectiveness of Guideline-Based Clinical Decision Support Systems: Protocol for a Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Clinical Decision Support Systems
• Evidence-Based Medicine

Background:

• Clinical guidelines (CGs) standardize care, but their application via clinical decision support systems (CDSS) often lacks clear scientific basis.
• A systematic literature review is necessary to understand the integration of CGs within CDSS.
• The current state of CDSS, focusing on CG integration, requires examination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically collect, describe, and synthesize evidence from randomized controlled studies.
• To evaluate interventions using CDSS with well-defined integration of evidence-based CGs.
• To assess the direct medical outcomes influenced by these guideline-based CDSS.

Main Methods:

• Adherence to PRISMA and PRISMA-ScR guidelines for systematic reviews.
• Inclusion of randomized controlled studies evaluating guideline-based CDSS with clear technical descriptions and algorithms.
• Searches conducted on Web of Science (including MEDLINE) and Scopus.

Main Results:

• 18 papers were included after screening 6203 records.
• The review explores the effectiveness of guideline-based CDSS in improving clinical outcomes.
• Study heterogeneity was identified as a potential limitation.

Conclusions:

• This is the first rigorous systematic review detailing the technical integration of CGs in CDSS.
• The review aims to identify best practices and challenges in guideline-based CDSS.
• Future research directions and areas for investigation are highlighted.