A Design Thinking Approach to Developing a Clinical Decision Support System for Breathlessness in Primary Care.

Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) have the potential to support guideline implementation and bridge the research translation chasm. However, clinician barriers to uptake remain strongly reported in previous studies. This study aims to utilise a design thinking approach to develop a CDSS for breathlessness in primary care. A low fidelity mockup was developed based on an exploratory focus group to elucidate clinician needs and assess responses to key features. The low fidelity prototype was then developed and tested through two rounds of Think-Aloud testing. Post each Think-Aloud, changes were made and split-run (A/B) testing conducted in the second round in response to user interface concerns raised in the first round. Overall, GPs find the CDSS to be a useful addition to their breathlessness assessment and are open to its use. This study showed that utilising a design thinking and practice-oriented approach with rapid usability testing, it was possible to gain crucial insight in a more rapid and cost effective way.