Explore how CDSSs directly assist the clinician in making decisions and the CDSS role in APN practice.

Answer

Explore how CDSSs Directly Assist the Clinician in Making Decisions and the CDSS Role in APN Practice

            The purpose of this essay is to explore ways in which Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSSs) can assist clinicians in the decision-making process. The scope also includes evaluation of the role of CDSS in Advanced Practice Nursing (APN). CDSS is a complete turnaround in healthcare today (Sutton et al., 2020).  CDSS is a tool that is designed to aid clinical in making of healthcare decisions (Sulley, 2018). CDSS is a valuable tool for clinicians in decision-making process in clinical settings and may help improve APN practice.

            A CDSS enhances clinicians in making of complex decisions within the context of healthcare. Enhancement of medical decisions is made possible through provision and utilization of targeted patient information, clinical knowledge, and other health information. Similarly, direct aid in clinical decision-making process is achieved through utilization of the system to match individual patient characteristics with patient-specific assessments and computerized knowledge base. The system can also provide patient-specific recommendations to the clinician to make better decisions (Sutton et al., 2020).  Computerized decision systems can also improve making clinical decisions that may improve patient safety and reduce care-associated costs. In addition, the system the system can help clinicians to improve quality of care that is provided (Sulley, 2018).  Sulley (2018) also adds that CDSS can inform clinicians on potential drug interactions and may be useful in development of strategies for disease prevention. Casimir (2015) reiterates that CDSS can improve safety, provision of person-centered care, enhance quality of care, heighten efficiency, and reduce healthcare costs.  The system can also help clinicians in sharing of care and patient information with authorized persons and can also support clinicians in making of reliable diagnosis (Casimir, 2015).

            CDSSs play an important role in APN. It is without doubt that it aids advanced practice nurses to make critical decisions that is required of them in clinical practice settings. Advanced practice nurses also benefits by using the system to develop efficient workflows that can guarantee delivery of desired results and satisfactory performance (Casimir, 2015). CDSS also supports documentation, measuring of staffing needs, enhancement of patient safety, maximization of efficiency, and for evaluating care quality in advanced practice nursing. Data generated from the CDSSS is also important in advancing research, coordination of care as well as provides an opportunity for improving safety and quality of care. The system is also useful in APN in prescribing of medications, transcribing medication orders, dispensing, and in administering medications. It is also useful in standardization of evidence-based care processes. A CDSS supported workflow can help standardize as well as enhance communications in direct care, which enables advanced practice nurses maintain American Nurses Association Standards of Practice in care focused areas such as assessment, diagnosis, planning, outcome identification, implementation, and evaluation (Lavin, Harper, & Barr, 2015).

            In conclusion, CDSS is aids clinicians in decision-making process in clinical settings. These decisions may lead on enhancement of care quality, provision of person-centered care, improvement of safety, and for reducing the reducing the cost of care. It provides a quick approach for identifying drug interactions that may help prevent adverse drug events and hence improve patient safety. It is also in identification of staffing needs and improvement of workflows. The CDSS also plays a critical role APN practice by aiding nurses to make critical decisions, standardize evidence-based care, conduct research, develop efficient workflows, and improve performance.