Clinical Decision Support Systems: Theory and Practice

This book is designed to be 1) a resource book on diagnostic systems for informatics specialists; 2) a textbook for teachers or students in health or medical informatics training programs; and 3) a comprehensive introduction for clinicians, with or without expertise in the applications of computers in medicine, who are interested in learning about current developments in computer-based diagnostic systems. In recent years, it has become obvious that other health professionals, in addition to physicians, have needs for decision support and that the issues raised in this book apply to a broad range of clinicians. The book includes chapters by nationally and internationally recognized experts on the design, evaluation and application of these systems who examine the impact of practitioner and patient use of computer-based diagnostic tools.

Building on the success of the 1998 edition, Clinical Decision Support Systems: Theory and Practice, Second Edition, once again brings together worldwide experts to illustrate the underlying science and day-to-day use of decision support systmes in clinical and educational settings.

 Writes the editor, "If used properly, CDSS have the potential to change the way medicine has been taught and practiced."  As clinical decision support systems (CDSS) gain an increasingly central role in the delivery of high quality health care, it becomes more important for the health care community to understand their use.  This text is designed as a resource for practicing clinicians, informaticians, teachers and students alike, and provides the most current, comprehensive look a the development and evaluation of clinical decision support systems.

 Topics discussed include:

-Mathematical Foundations of Decision Support Systems

-Design and Implementation Issues

-Ethical and Legal Issues in Decision Support

-Clinical Trials of Information Interventians

-Hospital-Based Decision Support

-Real World Case Studies 

Eta S. Berner, EdD, is a Professor of Health Informatics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.