Computerized Physician Order Entry System Does Not Reduce Medical Errors in Utah

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Computerized Physician Order Entry System Does Not Reduce Medical

Errors in Utah VA Hospital, Study Finds

27 May 2005 Medical News Today

A high rate of medical errors in prescription drug ordering, dosage

and monitoring can persist at hospitals that use computerized order

entry systems, according to a study published this week in the...

Archives of Internal Medicine, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. In the

study, conducted at the Veterans Administration Healthcare System in

Salt Lake City, lead researcher Nebecker and colleagues

analyzed electronic records of 937 patients admitted to the hospital

over a 20-week period in 2000.

Ninety percent of patients at VA hospitals are males who tend to be

older and sicker and have lower incomes than patients at other

facilities. According to the study, 27% of adverse events related to

prescription drugs were caused by medical errors. Of those, 61%

occurred in ordering prescriptions, 25% during monitoring, 13% in

administering drugs and 1% in dispensing medications.

Researchers found no errors related to the transcription of

prescriptions. Overall, researchers found 483 significant adverse

drug events. At least one adverse event occurred in 25% of

hospitalizations, including six deaths. Researchers believe the

actual rate of adverse drug effects at the hospital was similar to

that of other hospitals, but the numbers appear higher than in other

studies because of the clarity of the computerized system. " It's not

that there were more events, the measurements are better. We found

that three-quarters of adverse drug effects were recognized by the

computerized system, " Nebecker said. He added, " People on the one

hand expect computers to solve all problems. They eliminated

transcription problems, but the program was not designed to detect

problems with drug choice and dosing. "

Researchers said more sophisticated technology that can offer advice

on drug choice, dosage levels and monitoring is needed at hospitals

(Hamilton, Salt Lake Tribune, 5/25).

" Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org kaisernetwork.org.