Clinical Events as Building Blocks for Smart Workflows and Decision Support.

Abstract

Background: Traditional electronic medical records (EMRs) are often document-centric and poorly structured for real-time clinical decision support and workflow automation. To address this, we developed a Clinical Events Catalog by decomposing patient pathways into discrete, meaningful clinical events.

Objective: To define atomic clinical events that can support dynamic workflows, structured documentation, and decision support systems.

Methods: A multidisciplinary team analyzed clinical pathways across specialties and identified 168 atomic clinical events. Each event was defined with a textual definition, associated data payload, and performance metrics (KPIs), and categorized into thematic domains. The catalog was developed through iterative validation and expert consensus.

Results: The resulting Clinical Events Catalog covers nine clinical domains and provides standardized, actionable representations of clinical moments. Examples include "Vitals Examined," "Medication Administered," and "Risk Identified," each linked to measurable indicators. These events can serve as modular triggers for workflow engines and clinical decision support.

Discussion & conclusion: The catalog reflects a transition from static documentation to process-aware EMRs. While real-world deployment is planned, the catalog already offers a framework for improving data structure, auditability, and workflow transparency. This study lays the foundation for more responsive and intelligent digital health systems that support interoperability, clinical safety, and decision support integration.