Harvard Medical School launches Library of Evidence to help clinicians order imaging exams

Harvard Medical School (HMS) announced this week it is launching Library of Evidence, a free online resource that helps clinicians order appropriate imaging tests.

“The use of objective reliable and high-quality medical evidence in clinical decision-making is the foundation of good patient care but incorporating it into daily practice is challenging,” Ramin Khorasani, MD, MPH, HMS professor of radiology and vice chair of the department of radiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said in a release published by HMS. “The Library of Evidence is an important step toward organizing what is known to help advance the goal of evidence-based practice in a concrete way."

The Library of Evidence works like other clinical decision support (CDS) systems, providing instant feedback on the appropriateness of tests when they are first ordered.

“The overarching goals are to improve patient care and curb wasteful imaging by optimizing clinicians’ ability to choose the most appropriate imaging,” David Osterbur, PhD, director of public and access services at Harvard’s Countway Library of Medicine and co-executive director of the Library of Evidence, said in the same HMS release.

According to the school, the library is focused on imaging right now, but there are plans in place to expand to “other clinical dimensions that require evidence-based support tools.”