Handout · Cheat sheet
CDS Hooks — Cards & Indicators
Hooks, indicator severity, card anatomy & alert-fatigue rules
Objective: Author CDS Hooks cards that help at the point of care without causing alert fatigue.
Hooks (when the EHR calls the service)
- patient-view — A patient chart is opened/refreshed.
- medication-prescribe — A drug is chosen, before the order is signed.
- order-sign — About to sign orders — the last intervention point.
- order-select / encounter-start — An order is picked / an encounter begins.
Card indicators (severity drives EHR behaviour)
| Indicator | EHR behaviour | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| info | Passive, dismissible | FYI, education |
| warning | Attention; proceed with an override reason | Allergy, duplicate order, drug–drug |
| critical | May block signing; explicit acknowledgment | Life-threatening (critical lab, contraindication) |
Card anatomy & design rules
- Card = summary (≤140 chars) · detail (markdown) · source · suggestions (one-click FHIR create/update/delete) · links (SMART app / protocol).
- Be specific — name the drug class and the documented reaction.
- Prefer warning over critical (alert fatigue is the #1 reason CDS fails).
- Offer an actionable suggestion, and keep the decision at the point of care — not a separate alert inbox.
Practise this
Practised at HealthAtoms · healthatoms.com — synthetic, educational reference.