The effect of computerized physician-order entry on outpatient prescription errors

Little information is available regarding the use of computerized physician-order entry (CPOE) in the outpatient setting or the role of pharmacists in preventing prescription errors with CPOE. This study evaluated the effect of CPOE on pharmacist-intercepted prescription errors in the outpatient setting by using data collected from a retrospective survey of 4527 prescriptions ordered in the outpatient clinics of a tertiary academic center between 1996 and 2002. The use of CPOE increased from 1% in 1996 to 59% in 2002 (P < .001); during the same period, intercepted prescription errors with computerized prescriptions decreased when compared with handwritten prescriptions (4.9% vs. 7.4%; P = .0048). The most common intercepted prescription error involved the dosage form, followed by quantity dispensed, medication dosage, and drug allergy. These conclusions suggest a decrease in outpatient intercepted prescription errors associated with CPOE. The pharmacist plays a critical role in the prevention of prescription errors, as the errors discovered in the study would have reached the patients if not for their interception by these health care professionals.