When an abnormally high lab test result comes back on a patient who is being treated for deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, how should the heparin being used to treat that condition be adjusted?
One practitioner might say to stop the heparin for an hour, another might halve the dose, yet another might decide to discontinue it altogether. Studies have indicated that those types of decisions vary by specialty, by individual, and even within the same individual depending on time of day.
Evidence-based practice indicates that heparin should be dosed on the 18/80 protocol, a weight-based nomogram based on ideal bodyweight. How is the provider to know that? It’s not reasonable to expect every care provider to know every protocol in the medical literature. The evidence base is too vast and expanding too quickly. Fortunately, those protocols can be hardcoded into Epic, so when the abnormal lab test comes back, a physician can order the heparin protocol and easily deliver evidence-based medicine.
Embedding evidence-based medicine in the EMR allows physicians and other care providers to combine up-to-date medical research with their own knowledge and expertise to provide expert care.