Support Preferences and Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) in the Clinical Care of Autistic Children: Stakeholder Perspectives

Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) are increasingly utilised within healthcare settings to enhance decision making. However, few studies have investigated their application in the context of clinical services for autistic people, with no research to date exploring the perspectives of the key stakeholders who are, or in the future may be, impacted by their use. Given the importance of stakeholder perspectives in ensuring that CDSSs are relevant, feasible, and acceptable to those who use them, the aim of this study was to examine the views of key stakeholders in relation to support preferences and a proposed CDSS intended to aide in the selection of the most appropriate supports for autistic children.

Using a co-designed, mixed-methods approach, 20 participants comprising autistic adults, parents of autistic children, and practitioners providing services to autistic children were invited to participate in focus groups, or an open-ended online survey, to explore views regarding support provision and any opportunities, barriers, recommendations, and support for the use of CDSSs in clinical practice.

Participants highlighted potential benefits of using a CDSS in clinical practice, such as creating efficiencies and consistency in decision making when selecting therapies and supports, provided it was part of a holistic approach to working with autistic children. Potential barriers largely centred on concerns about the safety of data to be utilised within the system.

The findings indicate that CDSS have the potential to play a valuable role in selecting supports for autistic children, providing appropriate safeguarding occurs.