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Computerized Physician Order Entry Systems

By Brent Metfessel; MD, MIS

A significant initial cost outlay for an organization-wide CPOE system is necessary, which for a large hospital may run into the tens of millions of dollars.  Understandably, the majority of the hospitals that have installed a CPOE system are large urban hospitals.  The up-front cost outlay may be prohibitive for smaller or rural hospitals unless there is an increase in outside revenue or third-party subsidies.

However, although it may take a few years before a positive ROI becomes manifest, there can be a significant financial return from such systems.

www.CPOE.org

Potential Benefits

The potential benefits of a CPOE system go beyond quality. Significant decreases in resource utilization can occur. In one study, inpatient costs were 12% lower and average Length of Stay (LOS) was 0.89 day shorter for patients residing on general medicine wards that used a CPOE system with decision support. Rather simple decision support tools can reap cost benefits as well. When a computerized antibiotic advisor was integrated with the ordering process, one institution realized a reduction in costs per patient ($26,325 vs. $35,283) and average LOS (10.0 days vs. 12.9 days), with all differences statistically significant.

Studies have shown that CPOE systems can significantly reduce medication error rates, including rates of serious errors.

For example, one large east coast hospital saw a 55% reduction in serious adverse medication errors after the system was installed. However, on occasion errors can actually be introduced due to the computing process; in particular, errors can be introduced if the provider accidentally selects the wrong medication from the list or drop-down menu.

Accordingly, a CPOE system should not be viewed as a replacement for the pharmacist in terms of checking for medication errors. In addition, proper user interface design such as highlighting every other line on the medication screen for better visibility and having the provider give a final check to the orders before sending are some ways of reducing this kind of error. Overall, error rates from incorrect order entry on the computer are much smaller than other medication errors prior to introduction of the system.

Appropriate use of a CPOE system helps prevent errors and quality of care deficiencies due to problems with the initiation of orders.  However, errors can also occur in the execution of orders, particularly with the administration of medications to patients.  Bar coding of medications, discussed previously, is a simple way to close the loop in medication error prevention as well as further increase the efficiency of workflow.

Despite its advantages, a CPOE system has been implemented on an organization-wide basis in only about 45% of all US hospitals and growth in implementations has been relatively slow, although about 67% plan to add a CPOE system in the next few years.  Implementing a CPOE system is not an easy task, and there is a significant risk of failure.  Most hospitals utilize vendors for implementation rather than attempting to develop the system in-house given the difficulty of hiring full-time IT talent that specializes in CPOE systems.

One critical feature of any CPOE system is to obtain physician buy-in to the technology, since they will be doing most of the ordering.  Actually, unless the system is of the highest sophistication, physicians may claim it takes more time to write orders using a CPOE system than using the paper chart, as there may be a number of drop-down menus to negotiate prior to arriving at the appropriate drug.  Real-time retrieval of information and electronic documentation, provision of on-line alerts, and the ability to use standard order sets (prepackaged sets of orders pertaining to a particular clinical condition or time period in an episode of care), when relevant, can make the net time spent on writing orders similar to using paper charts.

Doctor Acceptance

It is also important, for physician acceptance, to not overwhelm them with on-line alerts.  Clearly, the system needs to point out the more serious errors, but if the physician’s process is frequently interrupted by alerts, they may increasingly resist the system.

For example, medication allergy alerts may warn physicians not only of potential problems with medications that have an exact match to the allergen, but also, as a defensive maneuver (“better safe than sorry”), to other medications that have a related molecular structure,, even though the patient may already be taking such medication and tolerating it well.  Furthermore, allergies to medications that may result in life-threatening anaphylactic shock may not be distinguished from “sensitivities” that consist of side effects that are not true allergies and are usually much less serious.

Thus, the potential exists for frequent alert generation that would interrupt the work flow and require time spent to override the alerts, making the system difficult to use and leading to user resistance.  One suggested solution is to have a hierarchy of importance, with alerts for potentially life-threatening situations being allowed to interrupt the work flow and requiring specific override or acknowledgment, and alerts for less serious problems being “noninterruptive,” allowing easy visibility of the alert without requiring stoppage of the work flow.

CPOE Pitfalls

Other pitfalls with respect to CPOE systems include the following:

• crowded menus making it easy to select the wrong patient or wrong drug with the mouse;
• fragmented information necessitating navigation through numerous screens to find the relevant information;
• computer downtime (scheduled or unscheduled); and
• location of terminals in busy places, which can lead to distractions and resulting incomplete or incorrect entries.

Intelligent, well-thought-out system designs can serve to mitigate many of these problems.  It is important that such difficulties appear on the systems designers’ “radar screen” and are explicitly considered in the implementation.

Pharmacists

As for pharmacists, a CPOE system will not take them out of the process. Although a CPOE system has the capability to capture many drug errors and remove the need for manual order entry, there will always be a need for pharmacists to not only give a second look at possible errors, but to take a more active role in patient care, including going on ward rounds for complex cases, defining optimal treatment, and giving consultative advice.

www.MedicalBusinessAdvisors.com

Assessment

A CPOE system has the potential to give physicians ready access to patient data anywhere in the hospital as well as at home or on the road, especially with Internet-based connections. This is significant given the difficulty in obtaining patient charts for mobile providers.

In today’s environment of high expectations for care quality and pay-for-performance initiatives, enhanced quality of care can translate into financial gain. Although there is a significant up-front allocation of funds for CPOE systems, given present trends the time may arrive where there is no longer a choice but to implement such a system.

• On Hospital CPOE Systems [Part One]

Conclusion

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