Abstract
BACKGROUND: Clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) already support community pharmacists in conducting medication reviews (MRs) by identifying important information on interactions and suggesting clinical solutions. However, their impact in terms of quality and time savings is widely unexplored. The aim of our study was to investigate whether MRs are performed faster and better with or without using a CDSS. METHODS: In a randomized controlled study with a cross-over design, 71 pharmacists performed a total of four MRs, two with and two without the use of a CDSS. The primary endpoint was defined as the time required for the MRs. The secondary endpoints were the number of predefined relevant drug-related problems (DRPs) detected and pharmacist satisfaction. RESULTS: Without the use of a CDSS, pharmacists needed between 25.7% and 30.7% more time to perform a MR than with a CDSS. In addition, significantly more relevant DRPs were detected in the MRs with CDSS than without CDSS (70% vs. 50%; p = 0.0037). Furthermore, participants stated that they felt more confident using a CDSS for MRs than without. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that MRs can be performed both faster and better when using a CDSS than without. Consequently, community pharmacists benefit from the use of CDSSs for MRs, as do patients in terms of their drug therapy safety.