The Community Preventive Services Task Force (www.thecommunityguide.org), which includes subject matter experts from the CDC, has released new online reports on interventions to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD).
One report, Clinical Decision Support Systems to Improve Provider Practices, recommends clinical decision support systems (CDSSs). A systematic review of 45 studies provided sufficient evidence that CDSSs help improve screening for CVD risk factors and other CVD-related preventive care services, clinical tests, and treatments.
The Task Force adds that most of the available evidence on effectiveness is from studies of CDSSs that are implemented alone rather than as part of a coordinated service delivery effort. The report also found “evidence gaps,” such as a lack of evidence regarding the impact of CDSSs on CVD risk factor outcomes, including systolic and diastolic blood pressure, lipids, diabetes, and CVD-related morbidity and mortality, as well as patient-centered outcomes and processes.
The report includes full-text articles on the studies published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.