A cluster randomized trial evaluating electronic prescribing in an ambulatory care setting

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Clinical Pharmacy
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Medication errors and adverse drug events pose significant risks and costs to healthcare systems.
• Errors frequently occur during prescription ordering and administration stages.
• This study addresses limitations of traditional designs for evaluating interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the protocol for a pragmatic trial of electronic prescribing.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of electronic prescribing in reducing prescription errors.
• To overcome limitations of traditional study designs in evaluating interventions.

Main Methods:

• A 65-week, cluster randomized, parallel trial conducted in ambulatory outpatient clinics.
• Utilized Canadian electronic prescribing software with point-of-care decision support via handheld computers (PDAs).
• Randomization by 'week' (system 'on' or 'off'); analysis by prescription, adjusting for clustering.

Main Results:

• N/A - Protocol description, results not yet available.

Conclusions:

• The paper outlines a pragmatic cluster randomized trial protocol for point-of-care electronic prescribing.
• The design specifically addresses and aims to overcome limitations of traditional research methodologies.
• This trial is registered with clinicaltrials.gov (ID: NCT00252395).