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Detecting alerts, notifying the physician, and offering action items: a comprehensive alerting system
G J Kuperman1, J M Teich, D W Bates
1Center for Applied Medical Information Systems Research, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Summary
This study introduces an automated clinical alerting system for inpatients. Physicians responded to 70% of alerts, with 39% ordering treatments directly from the alert, but further research is needed to confirm improved patient care outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Informatics
- Medical Systems Engineering
- Patient Monitoring
Background:
- Automated systems can enhance clinical decision-making.
- Timely alerts are crucial for managing serious inpatient conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate an automated system for identifying serious clinical conditions in inpatients.
- To assess physician response rates and actions taken upon receiving system-generated alerts.
Main Methods:
- A novel system was developed to automatically detect critical patient conditions.
- Physician alerts included potential therapeutic recommendations (action items).
- Physician response times and actions were tracked over a six-month period.
Main Results:
- Physicians responded to 70.2% of 1730 alerts.
- 82.5% of responses occurred within 15 minutes.
- Physicians indicated intent to act on 71.5% of alerts and placed orders directly from the alert in 39.4% of cases.
Conclusions:
- The developed alerting system demonstrates a notable physician engagement rate.
- Direct order placement from alerts suggests potential for streamlined care.
- Further investigation is required to ascertain the system's impact on clinical processes and patient outcomes.