Prescription Order Entry System Research Articles

Psychometric Properties of a Machine Learning-Based Patient-Reported Outcome Measure on Medication Adherence: Single-Center, Cross-Sectional, Observational Study.

Medication adherence plays a critical role in controlling the evolution of chronic disease, as low medication adherence may lead to worse health outcomes, higher mortality, and morbidity. Assessment of their patients' medication adherence by clinicians is essential for avoiding inappropriate therapeutic intensification, associated health care expenditures, and the inappropriate inclusion of patients in time- and resource-consuming educational interventions. In both research and clinical practices the most extensively used measures of medication adherence are patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), because of their ability to capture subjective dimensions of nonadherence. Machine learning (ML), a subfield of artificial intelligence, uses computer algorithms that automatically improve through experience. In this context, ML tools could efficiently model the complexity of and interactions between multiple patient behaviors that lead to medication adherence. This study aimed to create and validate a PROM on medication adherence interpreted using an ML approach. This cross-sectional, single-center, observational study was carried out a French teaching hospital between 2021 and 2022. Eligible patients must have had at least 1 long-term treatment, medication adherence evaluation other than a questionnaire, the ability to read or understand French, an age older than 18 years, and provided their nonopposition. Included adults responded to an initial version of the PROM composed of 11 items, each item being presented using a 4-point Likert scale. The initial set of items was obtained using a Delphi consensus process. Patients were classified as poorly, moderately, or highly adherent based on the results of a medication adherence assessment standard used in the daily practice of each outpatient unit. An ML-derived decision tree was built by combining the medication adherence status and PROM responses. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (NPVs), and global accuracy of the final 5-item PROM were evaluated. We created an initial 11-item PROM with a 4-point Likert scale using the Delphi process. After item reduction, a decision tree derived from 218 patients including data obtained from the final 5-item PROM allowed patient classification into poorly, moderately, or highly adherent based on item responses. The psychometric properties were 78% (95% CI 40%-96%) sensitivity, 71% (95% CI 53%-85%) specificity, 41% (95% CI 19%-67%) positive predictive values, 93% (95% CI 74%-99%) NPV, and 70% (95% CI 55%-83%) accuracy. We developed a medication adherence tool based on ML with an excellent NPV. This could allow prioritization processes to avoid referring highly adherent patients to time- and resource-consuming interventions. The decision tree can be easily implemented in computerized prescriber order-entry systems and digital tools in smartphones. External validation of this tool in a study including a larger number of patients with diseases associated with low medication adherence is required to confirm its use in analyzing and assessing the complexity of medication adherence.

A multifaceted quality improvement intervention on venous thromboembolism prophylaxis compliance in hospitalized medical patients at a comprehensive cancer center.

Previous studies suggest that quality improvement initiatives focused on hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism have a positive impact on prescribing rates of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis, especially those that incorporate computerized changes. We conducted a quality improvement project to determine whether education and computerized prescriber order entry system changes affect venous thromboembolism prophylaxis compliance rates in hospitalized medical patients at a Comprehensive Cancer Center. Between 1 January 2021 and 31 January 2023, 37,739 non-surgical, adult patient encounters with a length of stay > 48 h were analyzed in our study. From 18 December 2021 to 8 March 2022, provider education was delivered to the three largest admitting services, and computerized prescriber order entry changes were implemented incorporating a mandatory requirement to either order venous thromboembolism prophylaxis or document a contraindication for all patients at moderate venous thromboembolism risk. Monthly venous thromboembolism prophylaxis compliance rates, as defined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services VTE-1 metric, increased from a mean of 74% to 93% after the interventions. This change was driven primarily by an increased utilization of mechanical venous thromboembolism prophylaxis from 37% to 53%. Our study demonstrated that a multi-faceted intervention incorporating provider education and computerized prescriber order entry system changes can significantly increase venous thromboembolism prophylaxis compliance rates in cancer patients.

Effects of a Computerized Prescriber Order Entry System on Pharmacist Prescribing.

In Alberta, pharmacists are eligible to obtain additional prescribing authority (APA). At the University of Alberta Hospital, a transition was made from a paper-based prescriber order entry system to a computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) system. The primary objective was to quantify any change in pharmacist prescribing after CPOE implementation. The secondary objective was to compare the paper-based and CPOE systems in terms of drug schedule, order type, medication class, and the pharmacist's area of clinical practice. A retrospective comparative review of pharmacist orders was completed using 2-week periods of data from each of the paper-based order entry system and the CPOE system, spaced 1 year apart (in January 2019 and January 2020). Pharmacists prescribed a mean of 3.76 (95% confidence interval 1.97-5.96) more orders per day within the CPOE system than in the paper-based system (p < 0.001). Schedule I medications accounted for a higher proportion of pharmacists' prescriptions in the CPOE system than in the paper-based system (77.7% versus 70.5%, p < 0.001). In terms of order type, discontinuation orders accounted for a much higher proportion of pharmacists' orders in the CPOE system than in the paper-based order entry system (58.0% versus 19.8%, p < 0.001). This study showed that a CPOE system resulted in more use of APA by pharmacists, with schedule I medications accounting for a higher proportion of pharmacists' prescriptions. With the CPOE system, pharmacists used their prescribing privileges to discontinue a higher proportion of orders than was the case with the paper-based system. Therefore, the CPOE system is a potential facilitator of pharmacist prescribing.

Application of the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) to identify vulnerabilities and opportunities for improvement prior to implementing a computerized prescription order entry (CPOE) system in a university hospital oncology clinic.

Prior to implementing a new computerized prescription order entry (CPOE) application, the potential risks associated with this system were assessed and compared to those of paper-based prescriptions. The goal of this study is to identify the vulnerabilities of the CPOE process in order to adapt its design and prevent these potential risks. Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) was used as a prospective risk-management technique to evaluate the chemotherapy medication process in a university hospital oncology clinic. A multidisciplinary team assessed the process and compared the critical steps of a newly developed CPOE application versus paper-based prescriptions. The potential severity, occurrence and detectability were assessed prior to the implementation of the CPOE application in the clinical setting. The FMEA led to the identification of 24 process steps that could theoretically be vulnerable, therefore called failure modes. These failure modes were grouped into four categories of potential risk factors: prescription writing, patient scheduling, treatment dispensing and patient follow-up. Criticality scores were calculated and compared for both strategies. Three failure modes were prioritized and led to modification of the CPOE design. Overall, the CPOE pathway showed a potential risk reduction of 51% compared to paper-based prescriptions. FMEA was found to be a useful approach to identify potential risks in the chemotherapy medication process using either CPOE or paper-based prescriptions. The e-prescription mode was estimated to result in less risk than the traditional paper mode.

Pharmacy practice in hospital settings in GCC countries: Prescribing and transcribing

PurposeTo outline hospital pharmacy practices across the Gulf Cooperation Councils (GCC) countries’ hospitals. MethodsA modified survey questionnaire was prepared from the original 2019 American Society of Health-System Pharmacist (ASHP) survey questions. Survey details were discussed with some pharmacy directors for clarity and relevance. A list of hospitals were obtained from the Ministry of Health of each of the targeted GCC countries. A secure invitation link containing a survey questionnaire was sent to the participants directly. ResultsSixty four hospitals responded to this survey. The overall response rate was 52%. About 47% of the surveyed hospitals considered their drug formularies as closed, and strict. Additionally, only 44% of hospitals compare the effectiveness of products, when taking formulary decisions for drug inclusion. Forty-four percent of hospitals have computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE / EHR) system functionality for formulary system management. At about 39.1% hospitals, pharmacists have the responsibility for managing medication therapies, majority were engaged in providing anticoagulation therapies. About 61% of hospital pharmacies in GCC countries receive medication orders electronically, through CPOE/EHR. Majority (66%) of the hospitals in GCC countries have an active Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) while only 40% of pharmacists have a key role in providing clinical support. About 57.8% of hospital pharmacy directors reported that pharmacists do not provide ambulatory care clinical pharmacy servicesin their hospitals. ConclusionIn GCC countries’ hospitals, there are major areas for improvement to patient care of which pharmacists are uniquely qualified as the medication experts to have the most meaningful outcomes in all of the domains of safe medication use, medication therapy management, antimicrobial stewardship program and participation in outpatient clinics.

Abstract PS10-54: Single-centre retrospective study of treatment choices and outcomes of metastatic breast cancer post-progression on the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbobiclib

Abstract Background: For Hormonal Receptor positive/HER2 negative (HR+/HER2-) metastatic Breast Cancer (mBC) the optimal treatment post-progression on a CDK4/6 inhibitor is still not defined. We aim to identify real-world patterns of systemic treatment choice following palbociclib use at a large tertiary cancer centre and to determine the outcomes for this patient population. Methods: We identified HR+/HER2- mBC patients treated with palbociclib between January 2016 and June 2020 using the institutional computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) system. Patients with a 2nd primary other than breast, male, or with HER 2 overexpression were excluded. Electronic medical records were retrospectively reviewed to determine clinical, pathological characteristics, and treatment patterns. Our primary outcome was Time to Treatment Failure (TTF) for the subsequent treatment, using the Kaplan Meier survival method. Results: A total of 136 patients were included. At first diagnosis the median age was 52 years; 52% were premenopausal, the most prevalent primary tumor features were ductal histology (79%), and lymph node positive disease (54%). Regarding initial treatment 77% underwent surgery, 52% had adjuvant radiation therapy, 61% had chemotherapy (CT) and 67% had endocrine therapy (ET). The most frequent metastatic sites were bone 70%, liver 36%, and lung 33%. 63 tumors were rebiopsied, in 21 (33.3%) biomarkers had changed. Palbociclib was indicated as 1 Line in 45% of patients, 2 Line 26%, and ≥ 3 Line 27%. The most tolerated dose was 75 mg (44% v 33% tolerating 125 mg). The most prescribed endocrine backbones were AI (66%) and fulvestrant (30%). mTTF was 29.9 mo. (95%CI 12.68-47.11) for 1L, 33.2 mo. (95%CI 22.45-44.08) for 2L, 7.03 mo. (95%CI 2.29-11.76) for ≥ 3L. After a median follow-up of 18.7 mo, 74 patients (54%) had discontinued palbociclib due to progression (46%), toxicity (5%), or death (4%). Sites of progression were liver 37%, bone 29%, pleura 11%, lung 10% and peritoneum 6.5%. 63 patients had subsequent systemic therapy, with mTTF of 5.6 mo. 46 patients (34%) received chemotherapy, 29 patients had capecitabine, mTTF was 4.8 mo. 13 patients (9%) received endocrine therapy, 9 patients had fulvestrant +/- others, mTTF was 8.9 mo. For 5 patients (4%) the subsequent treatment was CDKi-based, 4 patients continued with palbociclib plus another endocrine backbone, mTTF was 16.5 mo. Only 1 patient (.7%) received everolimus-based subsequent treatment, with a TTF 5.6 mo. Conclusion: In this real-world analysis, we found that palbociclib was most tolerated at 75 mg and most prescribed with an AI. After progression on CDKi, the tendency was to prescribe a chemotherapy-based subsequent line, mainly capecitabine. Citation Format: Maria Luisa Romero Lagunes, Faisal Sickandar, Alia Thawer, Neda Stjepanovic, Katarzyna Jerzak, Maureen Trudeau, Andrea Eisen, Sonal Gandhi, Ellen Warner, Danilo Giffoni M. M. Mata, Abdullah MA Al-Humiqani, Anthony Lott, Rossanna C Pezo. Single-centre retrospective study of treatment choices and outcomes of metastatic breast cancer post-progression on the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbobiclib [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PS10-54.

Pharmacists' role in antimicrobial stewardship and relationship with antibiotic consumption in hospitals: An observational multicentre study.

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) teams around the world include pharmacists; however, their impact is relatively unknown. This study aimed to explore the relationship between pharmacists' actions and antibiotic consumption. Hospital pharmacists involved in the French antibiotic consumption surveillance network (ATB-Raisin) were invited to participate in a retrospective observational multicentre study. Collected data were: the previous year's (2016) antibiotic consumption expressed in daily defined dose per 1000 patient-days; AMS measures, including pharmacist-specific actions; and use of a computerised prescription order entry (CPOE) system. Associations between antibiotic consumption and AMS measures were assessed by linear regression, after adjustment for hospital activities. Annual data for 2016 from 77 hospitals (7260000 bed-days in 24000 beds) were analysed. Pharmacists were involved in AMS programs in 73% of hospitals, and were the antibiotic advisor in 25%. Pharmaceutical review of prescriptions was organised in almost all hospitals (97%). The univariable analysis identified five measures associated with lower overall antibiotic consumption: CPOE use (if >80% of prescriptions or 100%), pharmaceutical review (if >80% of beds or 100%) and the antibiotic advisor being a pharmacist (P=0.04, P=0.004 and P=0.003, respectively). In the multivariable analysis, two explanatory variables were significantly and independently associated with a lower overall antibiotic consumption: the antibiotic advisor being a pharmacist and a pharmaceutical review covering all beds (-19.9% [-31.6%; -8.1%], P=0.002 and -18.3% [-34.0%; -2.6%], P=0.03, respectively). Antibiotic consumption was lower when the antibiotic advisor was a pharmacist and when the pharmaceutical team reviewed all prescriptions. These results highlight that actions initiated by pharmacists have a positive impact and should be supported.

How often do prescribers include indications in drug orders? Analysis of 4 million outpatient prescriptions.

To examine the extent to which outpatient clinicians currently document drug indications in prescription instructions. Free-text sigs were extracted from all outpatient prescriptions generated by the computerized prescriber order entry system of a major academic institution during a 5-year period. Natural language processing was used to identify drug indications. The data set was analyzed to determine the rates at which prescribers included indications. It was stratified by provider specialty, drug class, and specific medications, to determine how often these indications were in prescriptions for as-needed (PRN) versus non-PRN medications. During the study period, 4,356,086 prescriptions were ordered. Indications were included in 322,961 orders (7.41%). From these orders, 249,262 indications (77.18%) were written for PRN orders. Although internal medicine prescribers generated the highest number of medication orders, they included indications in only 6.26% of their prescriptions, whereas orthopedic surgery providers had the highest rate of documenting indications (33.41%). Pain was the most common indication, accounting for 30.35% of all documented indications. The drug class with the highest number of sigs-containing indications was narcotic analgesics. Non-PRN chronic medication prescriptions rarely included the indication. Prescribers rarely included drug indications in electronic free-text prescription instructions, and, when they did, it was mostly for PRN uses such as pain.

Improving the Safety and Quality of Systemic Treatment Regimens in Computerized Prescriber Order Entry Systems.

Systemic treatment (ST) computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) and preprinted orders (PPO) are proven to reduce errors. There is no known guidance in oncology to facilitate high-quality, accurate regimen development and review; hence, this was identified as a system-wide gap. This provincial initiative aimed to improve the quality of oncology regimens through a comprehensive review of systemic treatment (ST) regimens and the development of standards. A system-wide analysis of all active regimens (both CPOE and PPO) to ensure they were built as intended was conducted in 2015. Thirty-five hospitals (on behalf of 75 treatment facilities) were asked to report any unintentional discrepancies and details of the maintenance review process. Discrepancies were compiled, categorized, and analyzed for potential to cause harm. In addition, a multidisciplinary expert working group was formed to create best practice recommendations. The review yielded a 94% response rate and took a total of 18 months to complete (70% completed within 9 months). The average number of regimens reviewed was 336 (range, 15 to 700; n = 9). Unintentional discrepancies were reported by nine hospitals (27%). A total of 369 discrepancies were reported (average, 55 per hospital), and 28 were deemed to have a moderate potential for harm. Only two hospitals (6%) had an established maintenance process; now, all have standard processes for review. Consensus-based recommendations for ST-CPOE and PPO regimen development and maintenance were developed. The review identified unintentional discrepancies and, because of the potential for patient harm, corrective action has been taken. Identified discrepancies have been amended, and standard regimen development and maintenance review processes are now implemented system-wide to improve the quality and safety of systemic treatment delivery.

Incorporating medication indications into the prescribing process.

The incorporation of medication indications into the prescribing process to improve patient safety is discussed. Currently, most prescriptions lack a key piece of information needed for safe medication use: the patient-specific drug indication. Integrating indications could pave the way for safer prescribing in multiple ways, including avoiding look-alike/sound-alike errors, facilitating selection of drugs of choice, aiding in communication among the healthcare team, bolstering patient understanding and adherence, and organizing medication lists to facilitate medication reconciliation. Although strongly supported by pharmacists, multiple prior attempts to encourage prescribers to include the indication on prescriptions have not been successful. We convened 6 expert panels to consult high-level stakeholders on system design considerations and requirements necessary for building and implementing an indications-based computerized prescriber order-entry (CPOE) system. We summarize our findings from the 6 expert stakeholder panels, including rationale, literature findings, potential benefits, and challenges of incorporating indications into the prescribing process. Based on this stakeholder input, design requirements for a new CPOE interface and workflow have been identified. The emergence of universal electronic prescribing and content knowledge vendors has laid the groundwork for incorporating indications into the CPOE prescribing process. As medication prescribing moves in the direction of inclusion of the indication, it is imperative to design CPOE systems to efficiently and effectively incorporate indications into prescriber workflows and optimize ways this can best be accomplished.

Implementation of an integrated computerized prescriber order-entry system for chemotherapy in a multisite safety-net health system.

The development of a computerized prescriber order-entry (CPOE) system for chemotherapy in a multisite safety-net health system and the challenges to its successful implementation are described. Before CPOE for chemotherapy was first implemented and embedded in the electronic medical record system of Harris Health System (HHS), pharmacy personnel relied on regimen-specific preprinted order sets. However, due to differences in practice styles and workflow logistics, the paper orders across the 3 facilities were mostly site specific, with varying clinical content. Many of these order sets had not been approved by the oncology subcommittee. In addition, disparities in clinical knowledge and lack of communication contributed to inconsistencies in order set development. Led by medical directors from medical oncology departments at the 3 facilities, pharmacy administrators, and information technology representatives, HHS committed resources to supporting the adoption and use of a CPOE system for chemotherapy. Five practical lessons of broad applicability have been learned: engagement of interprofessional stakeholders, optimization of workflow before CPOE implementation, requirement of verification tool for CPOE, consolidation of protocols, and commitment to ongoing training and support. Evaluation of the CPOE system demonstrated a systemwide reduction in medication errors by 75% (p < 0.05). Satisfaction with the CPOE system varied among sites and was unchanged institutionwide 6 months after the CPOE implementation. The development and implementation of CPOE for chemotherapy at a multisite safety-net health system created opportunities to optimize patient care and reduce variations through interprofessional collaborations. Initial evaluation suggested that CPOE reduced the medication-order error rate and improved user satisfaction in 1 of 3 facilities.

Prevalence of Unrounded Medication Doses and Associated Factors Among Hospitalized Pediatric Patients.

This study aims to determine the prevalence and factors associated with unrounded doses ordered via a computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) system among children during a 1-week reference period. This retrospective, cross-sectional study included children younger than 18 years admitted during a 7-day period. An unrounded dose was defined as an unrounded actual dose (eg, dose calculated to the tenths place for non-neonatal intensive care (non-NICU) patients and dose calculated to the hundredth place for NICU patients) or unrounded volume per dose [eg, <0.1 mL for non-NICU patients and <0.01 mL for NICU patients]. A multilevel logistic regression model was used to determine the prevalence and factors associated with unrounded doses via a CPOE system with adjustment for clustering effects. A total of 395 patients were admitted with 391 receiving medications. The overall prevalence of unrounded doses was 30% among the 2426 doses administered. Patients on the NICU team had the highest prevalence of unrounded doses. The odds of an unrounded dose were 4% (adjusted odds ratio, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.94-0.98) lower with each additional kilogram increase in weight after controlling for age, route, scheduled versus as-needed administration, and cluster effects. The prevalence of unrounded doses was higher than in previous studies. It was higher in smaller children after controlling for age, medication-related variables, and clustering. Future studies should focus on the role of CPOE in preventing unrounded and unmeasurable doses and if these strategies affect clinical outcomes (eg, adverse drug events).

Establishing best practice recommendations for systemic treatment regimen development and maintenance.

40 Background: A province-wide review of oncology regimens identified discrepancies in a number of regimens in systemic treatment computerized prescriber order entry (ST CPOE) systems. The potential patient harm from such discrepancies includes unnecessary toxicities and reduced treatment efficacy. The regimen review highlighted the need for a high-quality process to improve the safety of systemic treatment prescribing in Ontario. The objective of this work was to develop recommendations on best practices for the development and maintenance of oncology regimens. Methods: An expert multidisciplinary group of oncology clinicians and administrators was formed to review available literature and leverage their expertise to establish oncology-specific recommendations. These were then circulated to broader stakeholder groups for feedback and consensus. Results: Practical, consensus-based best practice recommendations for ST CPOE and pre-printed order regimen development and maintenance were created. Detailed processes for new regimen development are outlined in the table below. Moreover, broad areas of roles and responsibility, frequency of review, and sign-off were highlighted. This was repeated for regimen changes (not shown). Conclusions: There is a lack of guidance in the literature on best practices for oncology regimen development and maintenance. Careful analysis and application of the expertise of oncology professionals resulted in consensus-based best practice recommendations that will enable the advancement of safe, standardized, systemic treatment prescribing.[Table: see text]

Nonformulary medications can throw a wrench into your CPOE system

Nonformulary medications can throw a wrench into your CPOE system

The Impact of a Pharmacy Resident Led Educational Sessions on Electronic Prescribing Errors on Surgical Wards

Medication errors present a significant worldwide problem in a healthcare setting. Prescribing errors were reported as the most common type of medication errors (44%) in a local study in Saudi Arabia. Although Computerized Prescriber Order Entry (CPOE) systems reduce prescribing errors, the magnitude of the problem has not yet been evaluated in our setting. Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to determine the proportion of prescribing errors before and after implementing pharmacy practice resident-led educational sessions to surgical residents. The secondary objectives were to identify the classes of medication(s) involved in errors, their categories, and the proportion of errors identified and corrected by pharmacist(s) or by the pharmacy resident. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of educational sessions on the percentage of electronic prescribing errors at the King Abdulaziz Medical City Western Region (KAMC-WR) for 3 months. Orders by surgical residents were reviewed for prescribing errors before and after the intervention phase. A sample of 890 orders for the pre and post-education sessions was estimated to provide a power of 80% with an alpha of 5% to detect a 50% reduction in prescribing errors post the intervention phase. Results: A total of 890 orders in the pre and post educational sessions were reviewed. The interventional educational sessions had a 5.4% reduction (P = 0.41) in prescribing errors where 140 / 445 (31.4%) prescribing errors were reported in the pre-educational phase, and 116 / 445 (26%) prescribing errors were reported in the posteducational phase. All prescribing errors were identified and corrected by either in-patient pharmacists or the pharmacy practice resident. The most common class of medications involved was anti-infectives, with 59.3% and 61.2% in the pre and post intervention phase, respectively. The most common category of prescribing errors was the incorrect rate of drug administration with 45.9% and 53.4% in the pre and post intervention phase, respectively. Conclusion: Educational sessions were not shown to be effective as a single tool to reduce surgical resident’s prescribing errors. However, it may be added as a part of a multifaceted program to reduce electronic prescribing errors.

Implementation of a custom alert to prevent medication-timing errors associated with computerized prescriber order entry.

The implementation of a custom alert to prevent medication-timing errors associated with the use of a computerized prescriber order-entry (CPOE) system is described. In early 2013, Virginia Mason Medical Center began work to modify the CPOE system to make it impossible for a medication-timing error to occur. A visual control, a custom alert that forced prescribers to "self-inspect with pause" (a soft-stop override) before signing an order that may result in a medication-timing error, was developed. The prescriber could choose to modify the order to skip the next dose or change the start date or time of the order, cancel the order, or continue without altering the order. The custom alert was designed to fire only for medications that are administered once or twice daily. The effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated with interrupted time series before-and-after analysis of medication-timing errors. Outcomes measured included the proportion of errors that were corrected by the prescriber before signing the order and the number of medication-timing errors that reached patients. The proportion of orders where a prescriber modified the order as a result of the alert increased from 12% before the intervention to 29% postintervention (p > 0.001), and this percentage continued to increase at five months postintervention (p < 0.001). The percentage of medication-timing errors that reached the patient decreased by 50% in the postintervention period. Medication-timing errors associated with the use of a CPOE system were corrected through implementation of a customized alert.

Effect of computerized prescriber order entry on pharmacy: experience of one health system.

Pharmacists' satisfaction with a computerized prescriber order-entry (CPOE) system and the impact of CPOE on pharmacy workflows and order verification were investigated. A mixed-method study was conducted to evaluate the implementation of a CPOE system in three hospitals of a large Michigan-based health system and early user experience with the system. Surveys of pharmacists before (n = 54) and after (n = 42) CPOE implementation indicated that they held generally positive expectations about CPOE prior to and during system implementation and continued to hold positive views about CPOE after several months of system use. In interviews and focus group discussions, pharmacists reported a number of important CPOE benefits, but they also cited challenges related to CPOE provider alerts, uncertainty about medication timing, and the need to support providers by serving as informal CPOE system trainers. Direct observation of pharmacists before and after CPOE implementation indicated decreases in both the rate of order clarification events (from 0.89 to 0.35 per hour, p < 0.001) and the average time spent per hour clarifying orders (from 4.75 to 2.11 minutes, p = 0.008). Several months after CPOE implementation, pharmacists indicated that several aspects of their workload had improved, including the process of medication order clarification, their ability to prioritize work, and their ability to move around within the hospital to respond to demand. However, pharmacists also noted that order ambiguity still existed and that the system needed to be optimized to gain efficiencies and increase clarity.

Systemic Treatment Safety Symposium 2014: Oral Chemotherapy

The second Systemic Treatment Safety Symposium, which took place February 21, 2014, in Toronto, aimed to identify opportunities for improving the delivery of systemic cancer treatment in Ontario based on regional needs, while providing a venue for collaboration and knowledgesharing. The agenda included a series of panel sessions followed by discussions, presentations of regional improvement projects and results, and breakout sessions. Based on the discussion that took place at the symposium, a provincial goal of zero handwritten or verbal oral chemotherapy orders by June 30, 2015, has now been established, and regions will be provided with funding for safe prescribing initiatives to support achievement of that aim. Building on the lessons learned from the 2014 System Treatment Safety Symposium, a common measurement strategy will be identified, and Cancer Care Ontario (cco) will also support the work by identifying the recommended key elements of a safe oral chemotherapy prescription. Additionally, cco will identify areas for improving systemic treatment computerized prescriber order entry systems to better enable prescribing of oral agents within such systems. Among the most prominent of the lessons learned during the symposium was the importance of having a focused topic (such as oral chemotherapy) while maintaining a province-wide scope. Another significant takeaway was that attendees appreciate the opportunity to hear from colleagues across the province about the work underway in various regions. Future safety symposia will also explore opportunities for enhanced engagement with participants through greater use of technology.

Impact of Clinical Decision Support Guidelines on Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Gentamicin in Newborns

Our institution's gentamicin dosing and therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) practices for newborns were suspected to be very heterogeneous. Once-daily dosing (ODD) or extended-interval dosing (EID) and trough concentration measurement were recommended. Clinical decision support guidelines were developed and implemented as clinical decision support in the computerized prescriber order entry system. Impact on dosing, TDM practices, and blood sampling were evaluated. A 1-year retrospective historically controlled study before (April 2008-March 2009) and after the implementation of guidelines (January 2010-December 2010) for newborns (<30 days of life) receiving gentamicin. Blood concentrations (% of peak concentrations sampled, % of patients with zero or one concentration sampled, % of trough concentrations ≤1 mg/L) and dose regimen (ODD/EID) were compared between groups. Factors potentially associated with gentamicin concentration were analyzed (multivariate analysis). One hundred thirty-two (postguidelines) versus 102 (preguidelines) patients were included (median gestational age: 34.3 versus 35.8 weeks, P > 0.05). After implementation of the guidelines, an ODD/EID regimen was almost exclusively used (97.7% versus 61.6%, P < 0.001), the percentage of peak concentrations (0.9% versus 17.2%, P < 0.001) and the number of blood samples per patient (87.1% having 0 or 1 concentration measured versus 48.0, P < 0.001) sharply reduced. A significantly higher percentage of trough concentrations were ≤1 mg/L (68.5% versus 33.0%, P < 0.001). The probability of a trough concentration ≤1 mg/L increased with an ODD/EID regimen (odds ratio, 7.23; 95% confidence interval: 3.48-15.0, P < 0.001) and in the postguidelines group (odds ratio, 2.02; 95% confidence interval: 1.01-4.02, P = 0.045). Guideline implementation generated a sharp reduction in blood sampling. Clinical benefits of better gentamicin dosing and TDM practices were evident. Cost-effectiveness and clinical benefit of reduced blood sampling should be evaluated.

Medication Safety

Medication Safety