Abstract
BackgroundIn England, national safety guidance recommends that ciclosporin, tacrolimus, and diltiazem are prescribed by brand name due to their narrow therapeutic windows and, in the case of tacrolimus, to reduce the chance of organ transplantation rejection. Various small studies have shown that changes to electronic health record (EHR) system interfaces can affect prescribing choices.ObjectiveOur objectives were to assess variation by EHR systems in breach of safety guidance around prescribing of ciclosporin, tacrolimus, and diltiazem, and to conduct user-interface research into the causes of such breaches.MethodsWe carried out a retrospective cohort study using prescribing data in English primary care. Participants were English general practices and their respective EHR systems. The main outcome measures were (1) the variation in ratio of safety breaches to adherent prescribing in all practices and (2) the description of observations of EHR system usage.ResultsA total of 2,575,411 prescriptions were issued in 2018 for ciclosporin, tacrolimus, and diltiazem (over 60 mg); of these, 316,119 prescriptions breached NHS guidance (12.27%). Breaches were most common among users of the EMIS EHR system (breaches in 18.81% of ciclosporin and tacrolimus prescriptions and in 17.99% of diltiazem prescriptions), but breaches were observed in all EHR systems.ConclusionsDesign choices in EHR systems strongly influence safe prescribing of ciclosporin, tacrolimus, and diltiazem, and breaches are prevalent in general practices in England. We recommend that all EHR vendors review their systems to increase safe prescribing of these medicines in line with national guidance. Almost all clinical practice is now mediated through an EHR system; further quantitative research into the effect of EHR system design on clinical practice is long overdue.
Highlights
Over 1.1 billion prescriptions are issued through primary care in England each year, at a cost of £8.8 billion in 2018 [1]
Design choices in electronic health record (EHR) systems strongly influence safe prescribing of ciclosporin, tacrolimus, and diltiazem, and breaches are prevalent in general practices in England
The ratio of safety breaches as a proportion of all prescribing for these items for practices was 12.28% (292,331/2,380,128) (10th-90th percentile range = 0%-47%) for diltiazem and 12.18% (23,788/195,283) (10th-90th percentile range = 0%-67%) for ciclosporin and tacrolimus
Summary
Over 1.1 billion prescriptions are issued through primary care in England each year, at a cost of £8.8 billion in 2018 [1]. Tacrolimus and ciclosporin are used in organ transplantation and other conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and severe atopic dermatitis. Both medicines have a narrow therapeutic window: minor differences in blood levels have the potential to cause graft rejection reactions, and switching between tacrolimus products has been associated with reports of toxicity and graft rejection. In England, national safety guidance recommends that ciclosporin, tacrolimus, and diltiazem are prescribed by brand name due to their narrow therapeutic windows and, in the case of tacrolimus, to reduce the chance of organ transplantation rejection. Various small studies have shown that changes to electronic health record (EHR) system interfaces can affect prescribing choices
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