Computerized clinical support tool
Acute care hospitals in Calgary use the electronic medical record system Sunrise Clinical Manager (SCM) for all patients admitted to hospital. SCM has the ability to build decision support tools to assist with the clinical management of patients. A clinical support tool was developed for Prevent CDI-55 + to ensure that when a prescriber entered an order for a systemic antimicrobial, they would receive an alert to also prescribe the probiotic with one click. The tool was built in October 2016, and piloted over four months prior to the initiation of Prevent CDI-55 + to identify and mitigate any issues. The attending physician and /or resident staff were generally responsible for the orders but they could also be placed by the pharmacist on behalf of the physician following consultation with the attending physician. As with any medication, the patient could refuse to take the prescribed probiotic. The targeted time frame of probiotic initiation was within 12 to 24 h following the initial administered dose of the antibiotic.