In a time of need, it is amazing how quickly things can get done!
Last week, a group of dedicated clinical experts, informaticians and analysts came together to assemble current best evidence, derive Alberta-contextualized clinical guidance, and design the first order sets to help support care of patients with COVID-19 presentations.
The Clinical System Design team were able to leverage the work of Strategic Clinical Networks, Area Councils and the Provincial Virology Program to build consensus using Alberta Health Service's Clinical Guidance Repository. This facilitated rapid review, feedback and deliberation, with >65 clinicians participating in a fully transparent process. Facilitated collaboration proved efficient, while producing a guidance "transform" that informs order set development for all Alberta clinical information systems; as well as paper-based processes. IT teams are able to work with standardized designs to speed build of system-specific decision supports.
Use of the Clinical Guidance Repository improves tracking of ongoing review rounds and iterative production of future versions of COVID Order Sets and Panels. This helps us respond to rapid emergence of new evidence. And accountability is enhanced with one central location for storage and maintenance of system-agnostic, provincially-adjudicated, clinical content.