title: A computerized decision support system improves the accuracy of temperature capture from nursing personnel at the bedside.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effect of a computerized decision support system (CDSS) on the accuracy of patient temperature recording at the bed side.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a randomized, controlled trial comparing nurses assigned to an intervention group that received CDSS whenever they attempted to store a low temperature (</= 96.4 degrees F) or a control group that received no CDSS.
  
  
  METHODS
  The computer recorded temperatures that would trigger reminders equally in both control and intervention groups. It also logged the reactions of nurses who received reminders and whether they retook the patient's temperature or chose to store the original low value.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We analyzed the temperature data over a 10-month period tracking a total of 44339 temperatures taken by the control group and 45823 temperatures taken by the intervention group. We showed a 51% relative reduction in the number of erroneous low temperatures stored by the intervention versus the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CDSS are effective with nursing personnel in improving the accuracy of temperature capture at the bedside.
authors.affiliation: Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center and the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
authors.forename: Philip J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Kroth
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Dexter
authors.forename: J Marc
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Overhage
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Knipe
authors.forename: Siu L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Hui
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Belsito
authors.forename: Clement J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: McDonald
mesh_terms: D001831:Body Temperature; D020000:Decision Support Systems, Clinical; D006801:Humans; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D017010:Reminder Systems