Considerations for Developing Patient-centered Clinical Decision Support: Preventing Older Adult Falls after Emergency Department Visits

Abstract

To support the ongoing adaptation and implementation of an Emergency Department (ED)-based clinical decision support (CDS) tool to prevent future falls, we interviewed older adults ( n = 15) during their ED stay. We elicited their feedback on the written and verbal content of the existing CDS, feelings about the automated risk-screening aspect of the CDS and asked them to identify barriers that would prevent them from following up with the Falls Clinic to which the CDS supports referral placements. Our findings suggest that the older adults interviewed saw the CDS simply as another tool that they trusted their ED physician/APP to interact with. The identified barriers to follow-up reflect common access barriers such as transportation availability and clinic distance. For CDS tools to impact real-life patient outcomes, we must consider patient’s needs and limitations and appropriately match interventions.