This week we learned about the potential benefits and drawbacks to clinical decision support
systems (CDSSs). Create a “Pros” versus “Cons” table with a column for “Pro” and a separate
column for “Con”. Include at least 3 items for each column. Next to each item, provide a brief
rationale as to why you included it on the respective list.
The primary goal of a CDSS is to leverage data and the scientific evidence to help guide
appropriate decision making. CDSSs directly assist the clinician in making decisions about
specific patients. For this discussion thread post, you are to assume your future role as an APN
and create a clinical patient and scenario to illustrate an exemplary depiction of how a CDSS
might influence your decision. This post is an opportunity for you to be innovative, so have fun!
PRO: Reduces duplicative testing - CDSS help decrease the amount of duplicative tests/orders,
saving money, and sparing the patient from unnecessary testing.
Decreases clinical variation - CDSS can help save clinicians time
Avoids patient complications - alerts to ensure patient safety and catch problems with the
patient’s health
My future APN role will hopefully be in an outpatient office within a rural community. Diabetes
