Generic Customizable Simulation Modules to Emphasize Error Risk in Medication Order Entry

Abstract

Latent interface design issues can contribute to error prone instances during electronic medication order entry, which may in turn compromise patient safety. In electronic medication order entry, error-tolerant design and safety engineering approaches are paramount for mitigating risk. However, long-term interface or programming redesign recommendations often take time to implement after hazards are identified. Tradeoffs and unanswered questions in design may further complicate design and redesign efforts. A proposed approach for addressing these gaps where redesign is delayed or not possible is promoting user awareness of potential error mechanisms by creating structured customizable electronic health record (EHR) and computerized provider order entry (CPOE) simulation training modules to highlight latent design issues that could contribute to data entry problems. The development and use of simulated EHR and CPOE environments for training purposes has only recently begun to be described in published literature. These recent publications describe general EHR simulation curricula. This paper introduces the incorporation of human factors and human-computer interaction concepts as a primary learning objective within a model for a customizable universal EHR and CPOE simulation module.