Development of REDCap-based architecture for a clinical decision support tool linked to the electronic health record for assessment of medication appropriateness.

Abstract

Objective: To develop the architecture for a clinical decision support system (CDSS) linked to the electronic health record (EHR) using the tools provided by Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) to assess medication appropriateness in older adults with polypharmacy.

Materials and methods: The tools available in REDCap were used to create the architecture for replicating a previously developed stand-alone system while overcoming its limitations.

Results: The architecture consists of data input forms, drug- and disease-mapper, rules engine, and report generator. The input forms integrate medication and health condition data from the EHR with patient assessment data. The rules engine evaluates medication appropriateness through rules built through a series of drop-down menus. The rules generate output, which are a set of recommendations to the clinician.

Discussion and conclusion: This architecture successfully replicates the stand-alone CDSS while addressing its limitations. It is compatible with several EHRs, easily shared among the large community using REDCap, and readily modifiable.