The Impact of International Classification of Disease-Triggered Prescription Support on Telemedicine: Observational Analysis of Efficiency and Guideline Adherence.

BACKGROUND

Integrating decision support systems into telemedicine may optimize consultation efficiency and adherence to clinical guidelines; however, the extent of such effects remains underexplored.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to evaluate the use of ICD (International Classification of Disease)-coded prescription decision support systems (PDSSs) and the effects of these systems on consultation duration and guideline adherence during telemedicine encounters.

METHODS

In this retrospective, single-center, observational study conducted from October 2021 to March 2022, adult patients who sought urgent digital care via direct-to-consumer video consultations were included. Physicians had access to current guidelines and could use an ICD-triggered PDSS (which was introduced in January 2022 after a preliminary test in the preceding month) for 26 guideline-based conditions. This study analyzed the impact of implementing automated prescription systems and compared these systems to manual prescription processes in terms of consultation duration and guideline adherence.

RESULTS

This study included 10,485 telemedicine encounters involving 9644 patients, with 12,346 prescriptions issued by 290 physicians. Automated prescriptions were used in 5022 (40.67%) of the consultations following system integration. Before introducing decision support, 4497 (36.42%) prescriptions were issued, which increased to 7849 (63.57%) postimplementation. The physician's average consultation time decreased significantly to 9.5 (SD 5.5) minutes from 11.2 (SD 5.9) minutes after PDSS implementation (P<.001). Of the 12,346 prescriptions, 8683 (70.34%) were aligned with disease-specific international guidelines tailored for telemedicine encounters. Primary medication adherence in accordance with existing guidelines was significantly greater in the decision support group than in the manual group (n=4697, 93.53% vs n=1389, 49.14%; P<.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Most of the physicians adopted the PDSS, and the results demonstrated the use of the ICD-code system in reducing consultation times and increasing guideline adherence. These systems appear to be valuable for enhancing the efficiency and quality of telemedicine consultations by supporting evidence-based clinical decision-making.