Nurse leaders must ensure the highest-quality patient care while navigating the complexities of clinical decision-making and staff management. The choice of a clinical decision support tool plays a critical role in achieving those goals.
Clinical decision support (CDS) tools are crucial in nursing care delivery because they enhance the decision-making process by providing timely, evidence-based information that directly informs patient care decisions. Used at the point of care, the CDS tool combines nurses’ knowledge and experience with procedural guidance and synthesized, just-in-time clinical care information needed to make accurate clinical decisions. CDS tools have been shown to help nurses decrease sentinel events, improve patient education and outcomes, increase care efficiency, and ensure adherence to the latest clinical guidelines, which are essential for delivering high-quality care.
Research indicates that CDS solutions for nursing are effective in reducing medical errors, improving care quality, and enabling nurses to manage complex patient care more effectively, thereby contributing to better clinical outcomes overall. CDS tools support accuracy in clinical documentation and can contribute to nurses’ professional development by offering ongoing learning opportunities.
Although the benefits may be clear, the selection of a CDS tool poses significant challenges for nurse leaders due to the variety and complexity of features such tools offer. And because CDS tools are typically feature-rich and rapidly evolving, comparisons between them and selection of the right one that meets a healthcare organization’s specific needs can be difficult. Nurse leaders should strategically evaluate the aspects of a CDS tool that will support evidence-based decision-making, enhance nurse satisfaction, and positively affect patient outcomes. They should also consider how the tool will be supported by its solution provider — from implementation across the organization to ongoing support and optimization throughout the life of the subscription.
5 key considerations for evaluating CDS tools:
- Quality of clinical content
The foundation of any CDS tool is the tool’s content. Nurse leaders must assess whether the tool offers up-to-date, evidence-based clinical guidelines that align with current best practices. And a full understanding of the frequency of content updates and the sources used in the development of content is crucial. - Ease of user experience
Usability is another critical factor. The CDS tool should be intuitive and accessible and enable nurses to quickly find the information they need — especially in time-sensitive situations. Mobile accessibility and user-friendly formats are also important considerations. - Workflow and interoperability
The CDS tool must integrate seamlessly with existing hospital systems, such as electronic health records (EHRs) and learning management systems (LMSs). Integration ensures continuity of care and prevents workflow disruptions. - Service and support
Implementation and ongoing support are key in the successful adoption of a CDS tool. Nurse leaders should look for partners that offer dedicated support teams, comprehensive training, and resources to ensure smooth rollout and long-term success. - Return on investment (ROI)
Nurse leaders must build a strong business case for the chosen CDS tool by demonstrating the tool’s potential to improve patient care while aligning with the hospital’s financial goals. Understanding the tool’s cost–benefit analysis is essential in securing buy-in from stakeholders.
Starting your CDS journey
The implementation of a new CDS solution isn’t easy. The transition to a CDS solution that does not align with an organization’s strategic objectives can potentially disrupt care quality, add costs, and create additional work for an already busy staff. The right solution must meet a nursing team’s needs today, but it also must be scalable to ensure that consistent high-quality care gets delivered at the bedside.
The list of questions healthcare organizations should ask CDS solution providers:
- Is the content evidence based, up-to-date, and developed by active healthcare professionals?
- Can nurses easily and quickly find the information they need — especially at the point of care?
- Does the solution support the way nurses work by integrating seamlessly with existing systems like EHRs and LMSs?
- What level of support is provided post-sale regarding implementation, training, driving staff usage, and ongoing optimization?
- How does the CDS solution contribute to improved patient care and organizational goals, and how is ROI calculated?
- Investing in a CDS solution is essential for ensuring evidence-based, high-quality patient care, for improving nurse efficiency, and for reducing the risk of medical errors — making such investment a nonnegotiable choice for healthcare organizations.
Investing in a CDS solution is essential for ensuring evidence-based, high-quality patient care, for improving nurse efficiency, and for reducing the risk of medical errors — making such investment a nonnegotiable choice for healthcare organizations.