Need of Clinical decision support system

In India, the healthcare delivery systems are based on manual record keeping. Indian policy makers are yet to realize the importance of medical informatics in delivering healthcare.

Reaching a foolproof diagnosis is never an easy job for a clinician. Often, a simple diagnostic procedure or test is overlooked and the disease eludes diagnosis. Clinical reasoning and decision making are phased. Initially there is a clinical evaluation (history taking and physical examination), followed by precise laboratory investigations. Then integration of clinical findings and test results is done. After that, comparative benefits and risks are weighed among the alternative courses of actions, like drug interactions. Finally, the patient's preferences are taken into account, along with ethical and other considerations like cost of therapy, compliance expectations and a therapeutic plan is developed. Right from the first step (history taking) to the final one, computers can be of immense help to the clinician.

CDSS (Clinical or Diagnostic Decision Support Systems) are Interactive computer programs, which directly assist physicians and other health professionals with decision making tasks.
Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) form a significant part of the field of clinical knowledge management technologies through their capacity to support the clinical process and use of knowledge, from diagnosis and investigation through treatment and long-term care.