NEWSROOM
Why do I need decision support in pharmacotherapy?
By Maija Kaukonen
MD, PhD, A/Prof, EDIC, Specialist in Clinical pharmacology and Anesthesiology & Intensive care | Medbase
21.5.2025
The amount of information in medicine grows exponentially. Whether it’s updated clinical guidelines, emerging treatment options, or drug-related safety information, a clinician’s memory is constantly put to the test. The increasing number of patients with multiple chronic conditions and the prevalence of polypharmacy are everyday realities in clinical practice.
Unsafe medication practices and medication errors are a leading cause of injury and avoidable harm in healthcare systems across the world. Globally, the cost associated with medication errors has been estimated at $42 billion USD annually. Therefore, WHO has identified Medication Without Harm as the theme for the third Global Patient Safety Challenge.
Clinical decision support systems
To resolve complex treatment scenarios, digital tools with patient-specific alerts play a key role in ensuring safe pharmacotherapy. These systems can provide the latest safety information to healthcare professionals involved in all stages of the medication management process. Whether identifying drug interactions or evaluating drug use during pregnancy, these tools can generate automated alerts that are tailored to the patient’s unique clinical situation.
Cutting through the noise – why only high-value alerts matter?
The alerts must be grounded by the latest scientific evidence, continuously updated to reflect emerging knowledge. Translating the ever-expanding body of medical literature into clear, actionable, and user-friendly alerts is a major challenge. Clinical workflows must not be disrupted by low-importance, overly complex or poorly designed notifications.
Crucially, alerts must not simply issue vague warnings like “Do not use this drug” or “Use with caution.” Without practical guidance on safe alternative recommendations, such messages offer limited clinical value. Overuse of low-relevance alerts contributes to alert fatigue, causing clinicians to override even high-importance warnings, which will ultimately compromise patient safety.
Well-designed clinical decision support systems provide alerts that are tailored to the individual patient context providing clear, clinically oriented recommendation to guide safe and effective treatment decisions.
The alerts must translate the scientific evidence into concise, clinically relevant advice – ensuring that clinicians not only understand the issue but also know exactly how to respond. When alerts are precisely tailored to individual patient contexts, they enhance safety while supporting – instead of overwhelming – clinicians.
Meet the experts in the Medbase Symposium
At EACPT 2025, I will be chairing a scientific session on decision support in pharmacotherapy, hosted by Medbase. We have invited leading experts from across Europe to share their perspectives on how decision support systems can can better meet real-world clinical needs and enhance safe and effective pharmacotherapy.
Medbase Symposium | Monday 30 June | 14:00–15:30
EACPT 2025 | Helsinki
Meet us at Stand #18
- Professor Ylva Böttiger (Sweden)
Decision support systems in optimizing pharmacotherapy: Evidence, challenges, and future directions
Professor of clinical pharmacology at Linköping University. Her research centers on enhancing medication safety through the development of clinical decision support systems and advancing education in rational pharmacotherapy - Professor Dr. Christoph Herborn (Germany)
Transforming care through clinical decision support – the future is here
Professor Dr. Herborn is a German radiologist and healthcare executive renowned for his leadership in clinical decision-making and digital transformation within hospital systems. He spearheaded the implementation of a clinical decision support system across all acute care facilities of Asklepios Kliniken. His recent research focused on artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and logistic regression models. - Associate Professor Jana Lass (Estonia)
Protocol for assessing drug interaction prevalence in Estonia through digital decision support integration
Associate Professor of clinical pharmacy at the University of Tartu, where she also serves as the programme director for the MSc in clinical pharmacy. Her career bridges academic research and clinical practice, with a strong emphasis on drug safety, rational pharmacotherapy, and personalized medicine. - Adjunct Professor Maija Kaukonen (Finland)
Medbase solutions for decision-making tools in pharmacotherapy
Clinical pharmacologist and critical care physician offering an overview of Medbase’s contribution to decision support content. She is also chairing the session alongside Adjunct Professor Kari Laine.
A warm welcome to join the session, meet the speakers, and connect with our team.
Read more about Medbase at EACPT 2025 https://www.medbase.fi/eacpt-2025/
“Pharmacotherapy is full of decisions – to make the right ones, clinicians need the latest, patient-specific, and clinically relevant information. At EACPT 2025, Medbase brings together European experts to explore how clinical decision support can advance safer medication use.”
Maija Kaukonen
Medbase