@article{article_1484551, title={EFFECTS OF USING CLINICAL DECISION SUPPORT TOOLS ON VITAMIN D COST EFFECTIVENESS}, journal={Atlas Journal of Medicine}, volume={4}, pages={137–144}, year={2024}, DOI={10.54270/atljm.2024.64}, author={Yalçınkaya Kara, Zeynep Mine and Ojalvo, David and Öztaş, Berrin and Serin, Erdinç}, keywords={Vitamin D testing, clinical decision support, costs}, abstract={Background: In medical practices worldwide, vitamin D testing is widely requested. However, the cost-effectiveness of vitamin D testing is a major concern. Many laboratories are turning to the use of clinical decision support systems (CDSS) to reduce unnecessary demand and thus the cost burden on the system. In this study, we investigated the impact of the implementation of CDSS on costs and changes in test demand before and after rationalisation of test demand.
Methods: We analysed testing requests 90 days before (8 December 2018 - 8 March 2019) and 90 days after (9 March 2019 - 9 June 2019) the implementation of the CDSS in the hospital’s software system. While this system completely blocked test requests from some clinics, with the exception of the intensive care unit and the ward, it allowed diagnostic requests in other clinics 90 days before (8 December 2018 - 8 March 2019) and 90 days after (9 March 2019 - 9 June 2019) implementation of CDSS in the hospital software system. The system generated a screen warning if the patient had had a vitamin D test in the previous 90 days.The Microsoft Excel pivot table tool was used to analyse test orders. The cost of the tests was compared before and after the implementation of the clinical decision support system.
Results: There were 31,066 requests for 25(OH) vitamin D in the first period. There were 18,830 requests for the same analyte in the second period. This resulted in an approximately 39 percent reduction in testing requests (12,236 tests) (p<0.0001). Savings of $37,350 in three months, or an estimated annual savings of approximately $150,000.
Conclusions: Incorporating CDSS into the hospital’s software system resulted in a significant reduction in requests for 25(OH) vitamin D testing. The development and use of new clinical software systems in laboratories is important in terms of both resource and human workforce efficiency.}, number={11}, publisher={Atlas University}