Retrospective evaluation of a clinical decision support tool for effective computed tomography angiography utilization in urgent brain imaging of suspected TIA/minor stroke in the emergency department.

CLINICIAN'S CAPSULE What is known about the topic? Canadian guidelines recommend that suspected transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients receive brain imaging in the emergency department; yet, high requisition rates for non-cerebrovascular patients exist. What did this study ask? What is the hypothetical impact that a clinical decision support tool (CDST) would have on computed tomography angiography (CTA) requisitions for suspected TIA patients. What did this study find? CDST use would have resulted in more TIA patients receiving CTA, while imaging fewer non-cerebrovascular patients. Why does this study matter to clinicians? A CDST could assist clinicians in applying the Canadian stroke guidelines as pragmatically as possible.