Using clinical decision support and dashboard technology to improve heart team efficiency and accuracy in a transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) program

Heart Team meetings are becoming the model of care for patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantations (TAVI) worldwide. While Heart Teams have potential to improve the quality of patient care, the volume of patient data processed during the meeting is large, variable, and comes from different sources. Thus, consolidation is difficult. Also, meetings impose substantial time constraints on the members and financial pressure on the institution. We describe a clinical decision support system (CDSS) designed to assist the experts in treatment selection decisions in the Heart Team. Development of the algorithms and visualization strategy required a multifaceted approach and end-user involvement. An innovative feature is its ability to utilize algorithms to consolidate data and provide clinically useful information to inform the treatment decision. The data are integrated using algorithms and rule-based alert systems to improve efficiency, accuracy, and usability. Future research should focus on determining if this CDSS improves patient selection and patient outcomes.