Clinical Protocol Guidance

The Challenge

A regional health system with 12 hospitals and 40+ clinics was struggling with protocol adherence. Clinical protocols existed for dozens of conditions, but following them under time pressure proved difficult.

The challenges were multifaceted:

• Complex protocols - some had 50+ decision points
• Time pressure - clinicians couldn't stop to look things up
• Protocol updates - frequent changes weren't reaching all staff
• Variation - same condition treated differently across facilities
• Documentation gaps - protocol steps not consistently recorded

"We spent months developing evidence-based protocols. Then we found out they were sitting in binders that nobody had time to open during a busy shift."

— Chief Medical Officer

The Solution

We deployed a clinical protocol guidance system that provides real-time, step-by-step decision support with AI-powered contextual assistance.

flowchart LR
    Context[Patient Context] --> AI[AI Guidance]
    Protocols[Protocols] --> AI
    AI --> Recommendations[Recommendations]
                

Interactive Protocol Navigation

Clinicians navigate protocols through a mobile-friendly interface:

• Yes/No decision points guide through protocol logic
• Patient-specific calculations (weight-based dosing, age adjustments)
• Automatic cross-references to related protocols
• Critical steps highlighted with safety warnings

AI-Powered Contextual Help

At any protocol step, clinicians can ask questions in natural language:

• "What if the patient is allergic to penicillin?"
• "Is this dose appropriate for renal impairment?"
• "What are the signs I should watch for?"

The AI provides guidance grounded in the protocol documentation and clinical guidelines, always with source citations.

Safety First

The system is designed with clinical safety as the top priority:

• AI augments, never replaces clinical judgment
• Confidence scoring - uncertain responses route to clinical experts
• Source citations - every recommendation traceable to guidelines
• Contraindication checking against patient allergies and medications
• Dosing limits with hard stops for out-of-range values

Results

After 9 months of deployment across the system:

• 89% protocol adherence (up from 67%)
• 23% reduction in care variation for tracked conditions
• 100% audit trail - complete documentation of protocol execution
• 94% clinician satisfaction - system seen as helpful, not burdensome
• Protocol updates now reach all clinicians within 24 hours

"It's like having the protocol expert standing next to you during every case. I can focus on the patient while the system helps me make sure I'm not missing anything."

— Emergency Department Physician

Technical Details