Clinician views on how clinical decision support systems can help diagnose asthma in primary care: a qualitative study

ObjectiveAsthma can be difficult to diagnose in primary care. Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) can assist clinicians when making diagnostic decisions, but the perspectives of intended users need to be incorporated into the software if the CDSS is to be clinically useful. Therefore, we aimed to understand health professional views on the value of an asthma diagnosis CDSS and the barriers and facilitators for use in UK primary care.MethodsWe recruited doctors and nurses working in UK primary care who had experience of assessing respiratory symptoms and diagnosing asthma. Qualitative interviews were used to explore clinicians' experiences of making a diagnosis of asthma and understand views on a CDSS to support asthma diagnosis. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically.Results16 clinicians (nine doctors, seven nurses) including 13 participants with over 10 years experience, contributed interviews. Participants saw the potential for a CDSS to support asthma diagnosis in primary care by structuring consultations, identifying relevant information from health records, and having visuals to communicate findings to patients. Being evidence based, regularly updated, integrated with software, quick and easy to use were considered important for a CDSS to be successfully implemented. Experienced clinicians were unsure a CDSS would help their routine practice, particularly in straightforward diagnostic scenarios, but thought a CDSS would be useful for trainees or less experienced colleagues.ConclusionsTo be adopted into clinical practice, clinicians were clear that a CDSS must be validated, integrated with existing software, and quick and easy to use.

Automated summary

ObjectiveAsthma diagnosis can be challenging in primary care. This study aimed to explore health professionals' perspectives on the value of a clinical decision support system (CDSS) for asthma diagnosis and the barriers and facilitators for its use in UK primary care. Qualitative interviews were conducted with doctors and nurses who had experience diagnosing asthma, and the findings revealed that participants recognized the potential benefits of a CDSS in structuring consultations, extracting relevant information from health records, and visually communicating findings to patients. Key factors for successful implementation included evidence-based content, regular updates, integration with existing software, and ease of use. Experienced clinicians expressed skepticism about the usefulness of a CDSS in routine practice, but believed it would be beneficial for trainees or less experienced colleagues.