Clinical Response through Emerging Technology (CRET)
The goal of Clinical Response through Emerging Technology (CRET) is to provide clinicians with near-real-time updates to information and best practices to improve their medical response to a broad range of natural and manmade hazards.
Table of Contents
The Clinical Response through Emerging Technology (CRET) is a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) initiative created to improve the clinical response to emerging public health hazards using existing electronic health records (EHRs) and other information technology (IT) tools and infrastructure. Previously named "All Hazards", CRET leverages technology to save lives with an informatics-based approach adaptable for different audiences (e.g., clinicians, clinical software vendors, or citizens). In collaboration with the ONC and CDC, CRET's goal is to provide clinicians with near-real-time updates to information and best practices to improve their medical response to a broad range of natural and manmade hazards. Examples of Common Hazards Requiring Medical Response:
- Infectious diseases
- Ebola
- Zika
- Acute Lyme disease
- Environmental, chemical, and biological hazards
- Events based on (intentional or unintentional) human behavior
- Natural events such as extreme weather
The Need for CRET
- When health hazards occur, each response is slightly different. CRET addresses the critical in-the-moment information needs of the medical community:
- Immediate access to the latest science about response when time is of the essence.
- Translation of public health agency guidance into computer-readable information that can be shared with computer systems (including EHRs and clinical decision support) to deliver needed information to doctors at the point of care.
- CRET provides clinicians with the latest science and response protocols from federal, state, tribal, local, and territorial public health communities by delivering critical knowledge to clinical decision support tools within existing clinical workflows.
Risk Identification & Response at Point of Care
- CRET is adaptable for different audiences (e.g., clinicians, clinical software vendors, average citizens). It addresses:
- Risk Identification: Exposures (e.g., travel, residence, occupation, recreational activities), symptoms, physical findings, and diagnostic tests (e.g., laboratory, imaging and pathology)
- Risk Reduction and Mitigation: Isolation, personal protective equipment, exposure avoidance, treatment, and supportive care
- Education: Recommendations for individuals at risk (patients, caregivers, employment sites)
Blog Posts and Ways to Learn More
Clinical Response through Emerging Technology (CRET) presentation on healthit.gov
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