Improving patient safety by modifying provider ordering behavior using alerts (CDSS) in CPOE system

Medication errors are not unusual in acute care settings. This prospective time series analysis/study evaluates the use of Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS)/alerts in helping providers not to make errors, when putting in orders in a CPOE system. We reviewed electronic health records for all the inpatients coming to 5 community hospitals for a 6 months duration (July 2010 - December 2010). Responses to 9 synchronous alerts (CDSS tools) were studied, that were prompted on computer screens when providers were putting in medication orders in EMR. These alerts guided the providers regarding any drug duplications, interactions, contraindications of the prescribed medicine with patient's clinical condition etc. The CDSS system in place changed the physician behavior & patient therapy 41.75% of the times when medication orders were placed. These alerts substantially decreased the medication error rate/adverse drug events (ADE's) in the patients receiving care at these 5 hospitals.