Effectiveness of non-interruptive nudge interventions in electronic health records to improve the delivery of care in hospitals: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the application of nudges within electronic health records (EHRs) and their effects on inpatient care delivery, and identify design features that support effective decision-making without the use of interruptive alerts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched Medline, Embase, and PsychInfo (in January 2022) for randomized controlled trials, interrupted time-series and before-after studies reporting effects of nudge interventions embedded in hospital EHRs to improve care. Nudge interventions were identified at full-text review, using a pre-existing classification. Interventions using interruptive alerts were excluded. Risk of bias was assessed using the ROBINS-I tool (Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies of Interventions) for non-randomized studies or the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organization of Care Group methodology for randomized trials. Study results were summarized narratively. RESULTS: We included 18 studies evaluating 24 EHR nudges. An improvement in care delivery was reported for 79.2% (n = 19; 95% CI, 59.5-90.8) of nudges. Nudges applied were from 5 of 9 possible nudge categories: change choice defaults (n = 9), make information visible (n = 6), change range or composition of options (n = 5), provide reminders (n = 2), and change option-related effort (n = 2). Only one study had a low risk of bias. Nudges targeted ordering of medications, laboratory tests, imaging, and appropriateness of care. Few studies evaluated long-term effects. DISCUSSION: Nudges in EHRs can improve care delivery. Future work could explore a wider range of nudges and evaluate long-term effects. CONCLUSION: Nudges can be implemented in EHRs to improve care delivery within current system capabilities; however, as with all digital interventions, careful consideration of the sociotechnical system is crucial to enhance their effectiveness.

Expanding the role of Australian community dietitians in gout management.

AIM: Gout is a common form of inflammatory arthritis with suboptimal management. Management guidelines for gout highlight the importance of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments. Dietitians can potentially assist in improving gout's associated dietary and lifestyle factors, and thereby play a role in improving its management. The aim of this study was to investigate perspectives of Australian community dietitians on whether their role in gout management could be expanded to improve management and treatment of gout. METHOD: A snowballing recruitment strategy was used. Dietitians known to the research team were invited to participate and then they suggested further dietitians. Semi-structured interviews (one-on-one) were conducted with 16 dietitians. The focus was on their experiences of contributing to the management of gout, including any barriers and facilitators experienced. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and independently analyzed by 2 reviewers to identify themes. RESULTS: The main reported role of dietitians in gout management was providing patient education. An identified facilitator was dietitians' understanding of gout and its dietary management. Barriers included the emphasis placed on medications for treatment by clinicians and patients, consultation costs, limitations in the evidence for the efficacy of dietary changes and lack of specific training in gout for dietitians. Dietitians predominantly managed the other metabolic conditions commonly associated with gout. CONCLUSION: Currently, the role dietitians play in gout management is limited. However, dietitians have the potential to take on larger roles in gout education and can also indirectly contribute by way of management of commonly associated comorbidities in gout patients.