What does the term "clinical decision support" refer to?

The term "clinical decision support" refers to systems that assist healthcare providers in making informed medical decisions based on patient data and clinical guidelines. These systems are designed to analyze patient information and provide relevant recommendations or alerts to enhance patient care quality and safety. By integrating data from various sources, such as electronic health records and clinical protocols, clinical decision support ensures that healthcare professionals have access to evidence-based information at the point of care. This ultimately leads to improved patient outcomes and more efficient healthcare delivery.

In contrast, while guidelines for patient referrals, databases of patient history, and documentation templates for scribes serve important roles in the healthcare process, they do not encompass the broader function of clinical decision support systems which are specifically designed to aid in decision-making through data analysis and clinical recommendations.