Can emergency department provider notes help to achieve more dynamic clinical decision support?

Objective Assess whether clinical data were present in emergency department (ED) provider notes at time of order entry for cervical spine (c‐spine) imaging that could be used to augment or pre‐populate clinical decision support (CDS) attributes. Methods This Institutional Review Board‐approved retrospective study, performed in a quaternary hospital, included all encounters for adult ED patients seen April 1, 2013‐September 30, 2014 for a chief complaint of trauma who received c‐spine computed tomography (CT) or x‐ray. We assessed proportion of ED encounters with at least 1 c‐spine‐specific CDS rule attribute in clinical notes available at the time of imaging order and agreement between attributes in clinical notes and data entered into CDS. Results A portion of the clinical note was submitted before imaging order in 42% (184/438) of encounters reviewed; 59.2% (109/184) of encounters with note portions submitted before imaging order had at least 1 positive CDS attribute identified supporting imaging study appropriateness; 34.8% (64/184) identified exclusion criteria where CDS appropriateness recommendations would not be applicable. 65.8% (121/184) of encounters had either a positive CDS attribute or an exclusion criterion. Concordance of c‐spine CDS attributes when present in both notes and CDS was 68.4% (κ = 0.35 95% CI: 0.15–0.56; McNemar P = 0.23). Conclusions Clinical notes are an underutilized source of clinical attributes needed for CDS, available in a substantial percentage of encounters at the time of imaging order. Automated pre‐population of imaging order requisitions with relevant clinical information extracted from electronic health record provider notes may: (1) improve ordering efficiency by reducing redundant data entry, (2) help improve clinical relevance of CDS alerts, and (3) potentially reduce provider burnout from extraneous alerts.