Comprehensive Summary
In their scoping review, Lenz et al. (2025) evaluated how the design and optimization of electronic health records (EHR) influence clinical outcomes and physician cognitive load in emergency care settings. The review included seven studies published between 2017-2022 that examined EHR dashboards, some incorporating using artificial intelligence, to assess their effect on clinical decision-making in emergency departments (EDs). EHRs dashboards provide clinicians with a consolidated view of key patient data, including medications, allergies, and past medical history. Primary outcomes were dashboard usability, impact on clinical outcomes, and overall effectiveness in supporting physician decision-making. Across the included studies, researchers emphasized the importance of seamlessly integrating dashboards into clinical workflows. While some studies showed usability gains, most lacked real-world validation, highlighting the need for further research on their practical clinical impact. Collectively, findings suggest that dashboards can enhance clinical decision-making, improve efficiency, reduce data retrieval time, and increase clinician satisfaction.
Outcomes and Implications
The development of EHRs has transformed clinical practice by improving how patient data is collected, stored, and accessed. Despite these advances, clinicians face growing cognitive demands from documentation and difficulty accessing patient information efficiently, particularly in high-acuity emergency settings. Optimized dashboards offer a potential solution by enabling rapid access to critical patient data. This review emphasizes their growing role in supporting real-time clinical decision-making and the need for continued refinement to maximize their assistance in the field of emergency medicine.