Terminology and approaches used in clinical decision support system (CDSS) design
| Design feature | Description | Example |
| Interruptive alert | Pop-up; temporarily stops the primary task; requires acknowledgement or cancellation to continue. | Drug allergy or drug interaction alerts. |
| Facilitative interruptive alert | As above but facilitates next steps by providing options for follow-on actions, for example, alternative choices. | As above but suggests suitable alternative, for example, second-line antibiotic choice for patients with penicillin allergy. |
| Non-interruptive alert | Alert that appears on screen but does not interrupt or stop the primary task. | Sidebar presenting additional information that may be actioned after the primary task is complete. |
| Graded or tiered alerts | Alerts (either interruptive or non-interruptive) that include information about the likelihood or severity of the risk associated with the information being presented. | Contraindications graded as higher risk than precautionary warnings. |
| Drug dictionary | List of all the medicines available for prescribing. | Commercial and non-commercial drug databases that facilitate choice of medicines to prescribe. |
| Formulary | List of all the medicines available for prescribing in that organisation or for that user or patient group. | Organisation-level formulary that restricts the choice of medicines available to prescribe. |
| Preference list | Selection of medicines that are commonly or frequently prescribed by the user or user group. | Preference list for acute admissions presenting with myocardial infarction, set at a system level, to nudge the user to prescribe by protocol. |
| Prepopulated doses or frequencies | Recommended dose or frequency is suggested when a medicine is selected; may be based on age or indication. | Nudge to prescribe the appropriate low molecular weight heparin dose for prophylaxis. |
| Order sets | Structured and standardised collection of orders for a given condition; usually based on evidence or guidelines. | Postoperative medication orders for specific procedures to nudge the user to prescribe by protocol. |
| Forcing function | Requires action to progress, that is, restricts and prevents further actions until the issue has been addressed; often used in combination with interruptive or non-interruptive alerts. | Mandatory entry of essential information, for example, entry of age for a paediatric prescription. |