Figure 1.

An electronic alert or computer decision support for AKI must not only alert the health care provider to the presence of AKI but also result in a clinical response if it is to be effective in changing patient outcomes. In many cases, the response to an alert should be prompt review of the patient, which includes making a clinical diagnosis of AKI and determining its etiology. Evaluation of this type of intervention should ideally assess its effect on care processes in tandem with an assessment of patient outcomes and report on how the intervention is implemented.