Clinical study of an online tool for standardizing hospital care

We assessed if use of an online clinical decision support tool improved standardization and quality of care in hospitalized patients with lower extremity cellulitis (LEC). This was a 14-month pre intervention and postintervention study of 85 LEC admissions. There was significantly higher usage of the online LEC care process model (CPM) in the postintervention phase (p <.001). There was a trend toward higher rates of appropriate antibiotic regimen in the postintervention group both initially and at discharge (p =.063 for both). A sensitivity analysis of CPM users versus nonusers demonstrated a significantly higher rate of appropriate initial antibiotics prescribed when the CPM was used (p <.001). Use of this online CPM was associated with improved standardization, as demonstrated by increased ordering of an appropriate initial antibiotic regimen for hospitalized patients with LEC.