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: CLINICAL DECISION MAKING

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Evidence-based decision making can be defined as the integration of knowledge obtained from clinical experience and expertise, research evidence, and patient preferences (Thompson et al., 2004). While the idea of evidence based medicine is not novel the acceptance and integration is relatively recent given the history of medicine (Zimerman, 2013). Due to the recent integration of evidence-based decision making, there are some clinicians and physicians who are unfamiliar and uncomfortable with changing their ways in practicing medicine. Many of them have practiced medicine for decades.These physicians and clinicians are likely to rely on their clinical experience and expertise and medical education alone.  Alternatively, you have others who were and are able to embrace it and recognize the benefit that evidence-based decision making has on the provision of quality healthcare. The constant change of healthcare which evolves and improves daily empathizes the importance of evidence-based decision making. 

The recent redesign of healthcare decision making to incorporate evidence-based decision making requires modification of the structure of the organization, as well as IT systems and new outlooks and attitudes on clinical decision making (Brown, Pasupathy, & Patrick, 2019). These organizations realize the value and importance of the information that can be utilized with in a clinical decision support system (CDSS) and are shaping clinical decision making around it and incorporating Information Technology (IT) and teams to help restructure clinical functions to adapt (Brown, Pasupathy, & Patrick, 2019). While there are many healthcare organizations that have transitioned to this model,  some smaller organizations may have been limited in their ability to do so due to insufficient means financially, resistance to change, or limitations of their capacity (Brown, Pasupathy, & Patrick, 2019). However, their failure to change will threaten their ability to survive and compete strategically within the healthcare industry (Brown, Pasupathy, & Patrick, 2019). 

Overall, the traditional role of physicians requires a change in practice and attitude to now incorporate evidence-based decision making in order to provide effective and appropriate health care and to sustain viability for the organizations for which they work. This change requires realization to how the capabilities and information within CDSS and the appropriate integration of IT systems to effectively utilize this information and make evidence-based clinical decisions. 

 

References

Brown, G. D., Pasupathy, K. S., & Patrick, T. B. (2019) Health informatics: A systems perspective (2nd Ed.). Chicago: IL. Health Administration Press. 

Thompson, C., Cullum, N., McCaughan, D.,  Sheldon, T., Raynor, P. (2004)

Nurses, information use, and clinical decision making—the real world potential for evidence-based decisions in nursing. Evidence Based Nursing, 7(3): 68-72. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/ebn.7.3.68 (Links to an external site.)

Zimerman, A. L. (2013). Evidence based medicine: A short history of modern medical movement. AMA Journal of Ethics, 15(1): 71-76. Retrieved from https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/evidence-based-medicine-short-history-modern-medical-movement/2013-01