Information Systems for the Practice of Evidence-Based Medicine and Shared Decision Making

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) and shared decision making (SDM) are essential for the quality of healthcare. Using information systems to support EBM and SDM has been proposed as one of the important initiatives to significantly improve quality of care. They play a crucial role by allowing healthcare practitioners to access information and clinical evidence while formulating their patient care strategies. They can also create new opportunities for patients to participate actively in their care. However, current information systems solutions are far from this perspective for various reasons. The aim of this paper is to present and illustrate how a prototype visualization of a process support system can enhance the communication and collaboration among healthcare providers and patients by improving the access to patient information and medical knowledge, in so doing support the practice EBM and SDM. An important conclusion from this research is that a process support as the one described in this paper can reshape the practice of EBM and SDM.