Medicine is always evolving—new research, updated guidelines, and emerging treatments constantly reshape the way we care for patients. But keeping up while juggling back-to-back appointments? That’s no small task.
So, how do medical practitioners keep track of the critical information they need to make quick, confident decisions throughout the day?
The answer: clinical decision support tools.
What Are Clinical Decision Support Tools?
Clinical decision support tools are digital, peer-reviewed medical references designed to provide practitioners with concise, practical, and continually updated clinical guidance. These on-demand, expert-backed resources help clinicians access the information they need, exactly when and where they need it.
While features vary, clinical decision support tools often include:
- Summaries of clinical conditions
- Diagnostic trees
- Client education tools
- Drug reference databases
- Interactive elements like images, videos, calculators, and drug interaction checkers
How Clinical Decision Support Tools Are Transforming Medicine
Clinical decision support tools have become an essential part of modern healthcare, helping medical professionals make faster, more informed decisions. Studies suggest they help:
- Improve efficiency
- Improve patient safety
- Reduce complications
- Reduce the length of hospital stays
- Significantly reduce diagnostic errors
- Answer more clinical questions, resulting in improved treatment plans
Human healthcare providers rely on clinical decision tools like UpToDate every day to navigate complex cases, confirm best practices, and stay current. These tools are designed to work across devices so clinicians can get instant, on-the-go access to the critical details they need—any time, anywhere.
Bringing the Power of Clinical Decision Support to Veterinary Medicine
Veterinarians face many of the same challenges as their human healthcare counterparts—balancing a vast and ever-growing body of medical knowledge while making rapid, high-stakes clinical decisions.
In the past, finding answers meant flipping through textbooks, searching online forums, or tracking down a colleague between appointments. But that takes time—time we don’t always have. And to complicate matters, the information we find isn’t always up to date.
That’s why we created Standards of Care™ (Standards™ for short)—a clinical decision support tool built for veterinarians by the trusted team behind Clinician’s Brief and Plumb’s.
The Future of Veterinary Clinical Decision Support: Standards™
Standards™ is a reimagined clinical decision support tool built to guide veterinarians from diagnosis to discharge.
With the practical prescribing power of Plumb’s at its core, Standards™ supports veterinary professionals with expert-written, peer-reviewed insights that help you tackle even your toughest cases.
It’s available from any device in seconds, and its content is continually reviewed and revised by specialists to reflect the latest clinical standards.
Standards™ embraces a spectrum of care approach, delivering practical, expert-backed clinical guidance that balances the latest medical knowledge with real-world patient needs and client considerations.
What’s Inside Standards of Care™?
Standards™ is designed to support you through every step of patient care. Here’s what you’ll find inside this powerful veterinary resource:
 DDx Comprehensive, expert-compiled lists of differentials for hundreds of clinical signs and laboratory results. |  Clinical Monographs Practical, peer-reviewed diagnostic and treatment monographs written by experts and designed to support you through every step of case workup. |
 Algorithms Concise, easy-to-follow decision trees for diagnosis and management. |  Clinical Handouts Pet owner handouts that cover clinical conditions, procedures, and preventive care in language everyone can understand. |
 Plumb’s Drug Monographs Seamless access to all the continually updated drug information veterinarians trust from Plumb’s. |  Plumb’s Interaction Checker The first-of-its-kind veterinary drug interaction checker that helps you avoid drug interactions in patients on multiple medications. |
 Plumb’s Drug Handouts Printable, emailable drug information sheets that clearly explain what medications do and how they are used. |  Quick Tools Helpful tools like notes, favorites, and a built-in conversion calculator to save you time. |
How Standards™ Can Support Veterinarians
In human medicine, clinical decision support tools have revolutionized how clinicians access and apply knowledge. Now, veterinarians can get that same level of trusted, on-demand support—exactly when and where you need it.
With Standards™, you can:
✔ Make faster, more confident decisions with expert-backed guidance at your fingertips
✔ Reduce diagnostic uncertainty with differential lists and step-by-step algorithms
✔ Enhance patient safety by avoiding misdiagnoses, drug interactions, and outdated recommendations
✔ Spend less time searching and get quick, reliable answers all in one place
✔ Stay current with continually updated, expert-backed clinical content
Standards™ is here to support you with the trusted, expert-backed support you need to navigate every case with confidence.