Usability of the IDDEAS prototype in child and adolescent mental health services: A qualitative study for clinical decision support system development

INTRODUCTION: Child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) clinical decision support system (CDSS) provides clinicians with real-time support as they assess and treat patients. CDSS can integrate diverse clinical data for identifying child and adolescent mental health needs earlier and more comprehensively. Individualized Digital Decision Assist System (IDDEAS) has the potential to improve quality of care with enhanced efficiency and effectiveness. METHODS: We examined IDDEAS usability and functionality in a prototype for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), using a user-centered design process and qualitative methods with child and adolescent psychiatrists and clinical psychologists. Participants were recruited from Norwegian CAMHS and were randomly assigned patient case vignettes for clinical evaluation, with and without IDDEAS. Semi-structured interviews were conducted as one part of testing the usability of the prototype following a five-question interview guide. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed following qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Participants were the first 20 individuals from the larger IDDEAS prototype usability study. Seven participants explicitly stated a need for integration with the patient electronic health record system. Three participants commended the step-by-step guidance as potentially helpful for novice clinicians. One participant did not like the aesthetics of the IDDEAS at this stage. All participants were pleased about the display of the patient information along with guidelines and suggested that wider guideline coverage will make IDDEAS much more useful. Overall, participants emphasized the importance of maintaining the clinician as the decision-maker in the clinical process, and the overall potential utility of IDDEAS within Norwegian CAMHS. CONCLUSION: Child and adolescent mental health services psychiatrists and psychologists expressed strong support for the IDDEAS clinical decision support system if better integrated in daily workflow. Further usability assessments and identification of additional IDDEAS requirements are necessary. A fully functioning, integrated version of IDDEAS has the potential to be an important support for clinicians in the early identification of risks for youth mental disorders and contribute to improved assessment and treatment of children and adolescents.