Difficulties of Diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease: The Application of Clinical Decision Support Systems

Context: Alzheimer's disease is one of the most common causes of dementia, which gradually causes cognitive impairment. Diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is a complicated process performed through several tests and examinations. Design and development of Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) could be an appropriate approach for eliminating the existing difficulties of diagnosing Alzheimer's disease. Evidence Acquisition: This study reviews the current problems in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease with an approach to the application of CDSS. The study reviewed the articles published from 1990 to 2016. The articles were identified by searching electronic databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct. Considering the relevance of articles with the objectives of the study, 29 papers were selected. According to the performed investigations, various reasons cause difficulty in Alzheimer's diagnosis. Results: The complexity of diagnostic process and the similarity of Alzheimer's disease with other causes of dementia are the most important of them. The results of studies about the application of CDSSs on Alzheimer's disease diagnosis indicated that the implementation of these systems could help to eliminate the existing difficulties in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Conclusion: Developing CDSSs based on diagnostic guidelines could be regarded as one of the possible approaches towards early and accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Applying of computer-interpretable guideline (CIG) models such as GLIF, PROforma, Asbru, and EON can help to design CDSS with the capability of minimizing the burden of diagnostic problems with Alzheimer's disease.