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Electronic prescribing improves medication safety in community-based office practices.

ABSTRACT: Although electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) holds promise for preventing prescription errors in the ambulatory setting, research on its effectiveness is inconclusive.To assess the impact of a stand-alone e-prescribing system on the rates and types of ambulatory prescribing errors.Prospective, non-randomized study using pre-post design of 15 providers who adopted e-prescribing with concurrent controls of 15 paper-based providers from September 2005 through June 2007.Use of a commercial, stand-alone e-prescribing system with clinical decision support including dosing recommendations and checks for drug-allergy interactions, drug-drug interactions, and duplicate therapies.Prescribing errors were identified by a standardized prescription and chart review.We analyzed 3684 paper-based prescriptions at baseline and 3848 paper-based and electronic prescriptions at one year of follow-up. For e-prescribing adopters, error rates decreased nearly sevenfold, from 42.5 per 100 prescriptions (95% confidence interval (CI), 36.7-49.3) at baseline to 6.6 per 100 prescriptions (95% CI, 5.1-8.3) one year after adoption (p < 0.001). For non-adopters, error rates remained high at 37.3 per 100 prescriptions (95% CI, 27.6-50.2) at baseline and 38.4 per 100 prescriptions (95% CI, 27.4-53.9) at one year (p = 0.54). At one year, the error rate for e-prescribing adopters was significantly lower than for non-adopters (p < 0.001). Illegibility errors were very high at baseline and were completely eliminated by e-prescribing (87.6 per 100 prescriptions at baseline for e-prescribing adopters, 0 at one year).Prescribing errors may occur much more frequently in community-based practices than previously reported. Our preliminary findings suggest that stand-alone e-prescribing with clinical decision support may significantly improve ambulatory medication safety.ClinicalTrials.gov, Taconic Health Information Network and Community (THINC), NCT00225563, http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00225563?term=Kaushal&rank=6 .

SUBMITTER: Kaushal R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2869410 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Electronic prescribing improves medication safety in community-based office practices.

Kaushal Rainu R Kern Lisa M LM Barrón Yolanda Y Quaresimo Jill J Abramson Erika L EL

Journal of general internal medicine 20100226 6

<h4>Background</h4>Although electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) holds promise for preventing prescription errors in the ambulatory setting, research on its effectiveness is inconclusive.<h4>Objective</h4>To assess the impact of a stand-alone e-prescribing system on the rates and types of ambulatory prescribing errors.<h4>Design, participants</h4>Prospective, non-randomized study using pre-post design of 15 providers who adopted e-prescribing with concurrent controls of 15 paper-based provider ...[more]

PMID: 20186499

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Project description:Electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) has the potential to improve the safety and efficiency of medication use, but uptake of e-prescribing in community-based settings has been limited to date. In April 2004, 2 large insurers in Massachusetts began a program to fund e-prescribing systems for targeted clinicians and practices. We studied the adoption and uptake of e-prescribing by the targeted prescribers.We obtained data on all e-prescriptions written from April 2004 to March 2005. We tabulated the number of clinicians using the e-prescribing system and the number of prescriptions written. We also obtained claims data from the 2 insurance companies and calculated the proportion of each clinician's prescriptions that were written electronically. We developed multivariable models to estimate the impact of different clinician characteristics on the proportional rate of e-prescribing.During the first 12 months of the e-prescribing program, 1,217 prescribers began using the e-prescribing system. In the final month of the study, over 55,000 e-prescriptions were written for patients covered by the 2 included insurance plans. The proportion of total reimbursed claims per clinician written electronically increased slowly during the study period and was still below 30% by the end of the study period. This number increased to 42% when we restricted the sample to medications normally used for acute indications. Multivariable models showed that younger clinicians, pediatricians, and prescribers in larger practices exhibited higher uptake rates as a proportion of total prescriptions.Clinician use of e-prescribing increased steadily in the first 12 months of an initiative sponsoring e-prescribing systems. Uptake of e-prescribing was only partial, with younger clinicians and pediatricians more likely to use the system. Research to understand why prescribers vary in their use of e-prescribing and to develop techniques to encourage more wide-spread adoption will be an important priority for future studies.

Project description:The aim of the study was to explore the impact of the implementation of an electronic prescribing and medication administration system (ePA) on the safety of medication administration in an inpatient hospital setting. Objectives were to compare the prevalence and types of: 1) medication administration errors, and 2) documentation discrepancies, between a paper and an ePA system. Additionally, we wanted to describe any observed changes to medication administration practices.The study was based on an elderly medicine ward in an English hospital. From December 2014 to June 2015, nurses' medication administration rounds were observed every 5 days before and after ePA implementation using an interrupted time-series approach. Medication administration error and documentation discrepancy rates pre- versus post-ePA were analysed descriptively and chi-squared tests used to test for any difference; segmented regression analysis was used to determine changes in longitudinal trend.Observations were made at 15 pre- and 15 post-ePA implementation time-points. Pre-ePA on paper, there were 18 medication administration errors in 428 opportunities for error (4.2%; 95% confidence interval 2.3-6.1%), and with ePA there were 18 in 528 (3.4%; 95% confidence interval 1.9-5.0%; p = 0.64). Regarding documentation, pre-ePA on paper there were 5 discrepancies in 460 observed documentations (1.1%; 95% confidence interval 0.1-2.0%); with ePA there were 18 in 557 (3.2%; 95% confidence interval 1.8-4.7%; p = 0.04). The most common electronic documentation discrepancy was documentation that a dose had been administered when it had not. Segmented regression analysis was unable to detect any significant longitudinal changes. Changes to working practices post-ePA were observed, such as nurses demonstrating less-consistent self-checking when preparing and administering medications.Findings suggest no change in medication error rate, although ePA encourages certain types of errors and mitigates others. There was a statistically significant increase in documentation discrepancies which is likely to be due to adoption of new working practices with ePA.

Project description:BackgroundElectronic prescriptions are often created and delivered electronically to the pharmacy while paper-based/handwritten prescriptions may be delivered to the pharmacy by the patients. These differences in the mode of creation and transmission of the two types of prescription could influence the rate at which outpatients fill new prescriptions of previously untried medications.ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate literatures to determine the impact of electronic prescribing compared with paper-based/handwritten prescribing on primary medication adherence in an outpatient setting.MethodsThe keywords and phrases "outpatients," "e-prescriptions," "paper-based prescriptions," and "primary medication adherence" were combined with their relevant synonyms and medical subject headings. A comprehensive literature search was conducted on EMBASE, CINAHL, and MEDLINE databases, and Google Scholar. The results of the search were screened and selected using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) was used for quality appraisal of included studies. Data relevant to the objective of the review were extracted and analyzed through narrative synthesis.ResultsA total of 10 original studies were included in the final review, including 1 prospective randomized study and 9 observational studies. Nine of the 10 studies were performed in the United States. Four of the studies indicated that electronic prescribing significantly increases initial medication adherence, while four of the studies suggested the opposite. The remaining two studies found no significant difference in primary medication adherence between the two methods of prescribing. The variations in the studies did not allow the homogeneity required for meta-analysis to be achieved.ConclusionThe conflicting findings relating to the efficacy of primary medication adherence across both systems demonstrate the need for a standardized measure of medication adherence. This would help further determine the respective benefits of both approaches. Future research should also be conducted in different countries to give a more accurate representation of adherence.

Project description:The goal of this study was to explore antipsychotic medication prescribing practices in a sample of 86,034 patients discharged from state psychiatric inpatient hospitals and to find the prevalence of patients discharged with no antipsychotic medications, on antipsychotic monotherapy, and on antipsychotic polypharmacy. For patients discharged on antipsychotic polypharmacy, the study explored the adjusted rates of antipsychotic polypharmacy, the reasons patients were discharged on antipsychotic polypharmacy, the proportion of antipsychotic polypharmacy by mental health disorder, and the characteristics associated with being discharged on antipsychotic polypharmacy.This cross-sectional study analyzed all discharges for adult patients (18 to 64?y of age) from state psychiatric inpatient hospitals between January 1 and December 31, 2011. The relationship among variables was explored using ?, t test, and analysis of variance. Logistic regression was used to determine predictors of antipsychotic polypharmacy.The prevalence of antipsychotic polypharmacy was 12%. Of the discharged patients receiving at least 1 antipsychotic medication (adjusted rate), 18% were on antipsychotic polypharmacy. The strongest predictors of antipsychotic polypharmacy being prescribed were having a diagnosis of schizophrenia and a length of stay of 90 days or more. Patients were prescribed antipsychotic polypharmacy primarily to reduce their symptoms.Antipsychotic polypharmacy continues at a high enough rate to affect nearly 10,000 patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia each year in state psychiatric inpatient hospitals. Further analysis of the clinical presentation of these patients may highlight particular aspects of the illness and its previous treatment that are contributing to practices outside the best-practice guideline. An increased understanding of trend data, patient characteristics, and national benchmarks provides an opportunity for decision-making that is sensitive to the patient's needs and cognizant of the hospital's accomplishments in adopting best practices.

Project description:ObjectiveDescribe safety practices for performing in-office laryngology procedures during clinical re-introduction amidst the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.MethodsAn anonymous survey in Qualtrics was created to evaluate demographics, preprocedure testing, practice settings, anesthesia, and personal protective equipment (PPE) use for five procedure categories (non-mucosal-traversing injections, mucosal-traversing injections, endoscopy without suction, endoscopy with suction/mucosal intervention via working channel, and laser via working channel). The survey was emailed to the Fall Voice Community on Doc Matter and to members of the American Broncho-Esophagological Association (ABEA) from May to June 2020.ResultsEighty-two respondents were analyzed (response rate: 10%). Respondents represented diverse locations, including international. Most reported academic (71%) or private practices (16%), laryngology fellowship training (76%), and a significant practice devotion to laryngology and broncho-esophagology. During the early re-introduction, most continued to perform all procedure categories. The office was preferred to the OR setting for most, though 36% preferred the OR for laser procedures. There was a preference for preprocedural SARS-Cov2 testing for procedures involving a working channel (>67%), and these procedures had the highest proportion of respondents discontinuing the procedure due to COVID-19. Various types of topical anesthesia were reported, including nebulizer treatments. The most common forms of personal protective equipment utilized were gloves (>95%) and N95 masks (>67%). Powered-air purifying respirators and general surgical masks were used infrequently.ConclusionsDuring the early re-introduction, respondents reported generally continuing to perform office laryngology procedures, while greater mucosal manipulation affected decisions to stop procedures due to COVID-19, perform preprocedural SARS-Cov2 testing, and alter topical anesthesia. Gloves and N95 masks were the predominate PPE.Level of evidenceN/A.

Project description:Healthcare providers previously using older electronic health records (EHRs) with electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) are transitioning to newer systems to be eligible for federal meaningful use incentives. Little is known about the safety effects of transitioning between systems.To assess the effect of transitioning between EHR systems on rates and types of prescribing errors, as well as provider perceptions about the effect on prescribing safety.Prospective, case study of 17 physicians at an academic-affiliated ambulatory clinic from February 2008 through August 2009. All physicians transitioned from an older EHR with minimal clinical decision support (CDS) for e-prescribing to a newer EHR with more robust CDS.Prescribing errors were identified by standardized prescription and chart review. A novel survey instrument was administered to evaluate provider perceptions about prescribing safety.We analyzed 1298 prescriptions at baseline, 1331 prescriptions 12 weeks post-implementation, and 1303 prescriptions one year post-implementation. Overall prescribing error rates were highest at baseline (35.7 per 100 prescriptions, 95% confidence interval (CI) 23.2-54.8) and lowest one year post-implementation (12.2 per 100 prescriptions, 95% CI 8.6-17.4) (p?<?0.001). Improvement in prescribing safety was mainly a result of reducing inappropriate abbreviation errors. However, rates for non-abbreviation prescribing errors were significantly higher at 12 weeks post-implementation than at baseline (17.7 per 100 prescriptions, 95% CI 9.5-33.0 versus 8.5 per 100 prescriptions, 95% CI 4.6-15.9) (p <0.001) and no different at baseline than one year (10.2 per 100 prescriptions, 95% CI 6.2-18.6) (p?=?0.337). Survey results complemented quantitative findings.Results from this case study suggest that transitioning between systems, even to those with more robust CDS, may pose important safety threats. Recognizing the challenges associated with transitions and refining CDS within systems may help maximize safety benefits.

Project description:Non-adherence to antihypertensive medications is a major cause of uncontrolled hypertension, leading to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Ensuring consistent medication possession is crucial in addressing non-adherence. Community-based medication delivery is a strategy that may improve medication possession, adherence, and blood pressure (BP) reduction. Our program in Kenya piloted a community medication delivery program, coupled with blood pressure monitoring and adherence evaluation. Between September 2019 and March 2020, patients who received hypertension care from our chronic disease management program also received community-based delivery of antihypertensive medications. We calculated number of days during which each patient had possession of medications and analyzed the relationship between successful medication delivery and self-reported medication adherence and BP. A total of 128 patient records (80.5% female) were reviewed. At baseline, mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) was 155.7 mmHg and mean self-reported adherence score was 2.7. Sixty-eight (53.1%) patients received at least 1 successful medication delivery. Our pharmacy dispensing records demonstrated that medication possession was greater among patients receiving medication deliveries. Change in self-reported medication adherence from baseline worsened in patients who did not receive any medication delivery (+0.5), but improved in patients receiving 1 delivery (-0.3) and 2 or more deliveries (-0.8). There was an SBP reduction of 1.9, 6.1, and 15.5 mmHg among patients who did not receive any deliveries, those who received 1 delivery, and those who received 2 or more medication deliveries, respectively. Adjusted mixed-effect model estimates revealed that mean SBP reduction and self-reported medication adherence were improved among individuals who successfully received medication deliveries, compared to those who did not. A community medication delivery program in western Kenya was shown to be implementable and enhanced medication possession, reduced SBP, and significantly improved self-reported adherence. This is a promising strategy to improve health outcomes for patients with uncontrolled hypertension that warrants further investigation.

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Electronic prescribing improves medication safety in community-based office practices.

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Electronic prescribing improves medication safety in community-based office practices.

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