Enabling Clinicians with a Single Source of Truth

Access to the latest clinical guidelines saves providers time and optimizes care delivery for the health system. In the case of a novel virus like COVID-19, new knowledge emerges and clinical guidelines are evolving in real time. So how can clinicians keep up to date with the latest research and treatments, and ensure patients are receiving the highest quality of care as well as avoid potentially harmful treatment?

Providers need technology that embeds the latest and most relevant clinical guidance into the workflow, at the point of care. COVID-19 has shown a unique ability to boast new symptoms and manifestations at the turn of a hat. For example, in late April doctors reported otherwise healthy adults were presenting with strokes and blood clots as a result of COVID-19, while the pediatric population, at one time thought to exhibit a milder form of the illness, have shown signs of a COVID-19-related multi-system inflammatory syndrome.

As new signs, symptoms and treatments come to light, clinical decision support technology (CDS) enables providers to access the most current, relevant clinical guidance in real time.

Clinicians avoid wasting time on protocols that have been proven ineffective, and more importantly, potentially harmful. Here are two key ways in which this technology works to support providers:

• CDS technology flags patients as high risk for hospitalization based on their symptoms. When a physician or clinician meets with a patient, they are empowered with the information to create an intervention plan, based on the individual patient’s risk profile. Patient lists are created to support efficient care coordination with information that includes zip code, encounter location and provider name.
• CDS technology is updated with guidelines from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in real time from the cloud, ensuring providers do not rely on outdated information when providing patient care.

Staying Ahead of a Moving Target

Providers must be able to rapidly adapt to the ever-evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes staying informed and adhering to the latest evidence-based clinical guidance to provide the best possible care. Federal agencies such as the NIH are leading the efforts to identify the most effective modality to test, treat and prevent COVID-19. As with all trials, some will work, some will not, and some will only be effective for a subset of the population. CDS enables clinicians to quickly ascertain and implement the latest guidance, ensuring the best possible patient care.

See this technology in action.