Better EHR & CDS Design Means Better Patient Outcomes

Improved health IT interfaces such as online dashboards and apps are leading to better patient care according to a new report examining EHR usability and clinical decision support. The multi-part study aims to encourage some rethinking about the ways EHR decision support is presented to clinicians. Many hospitals and clinics nationwide have been implementing various clinical decision support tools, which is promising for many patients.

However, Dr. Thomas McGinn noted within the study that, "implementing EHR and CDS tools into complex healthcare systems and clinical workflow continues to be challenging.” Furthermore, poor integration runs the risk of "substantially reducing adoption and use." On the other hand, there has been a more thoughtful approach to developing and implementing these new systems especially from the point of view of a clinical user. Considering user experience and other improvement in the design process can greatly improve the ability of CDS tools to reach their potential to improve quality of care and patient outcomes. 

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