[Computers to facilitate the quality of blood products orders]

The decision to order component blood products is perhaps the most critical step in patient's transfusion safety. A variety of techniques used to bring about behavioural changes in the transfusion practices of physicians have been met with limited success. Computerized order entry (CPOE) and decision support systems have been demonstrated to improve the quality of orders in terms of legibility and completeness. In addition, CPOE systems have been shown to affect physician ordering behaviour and to reduce the percentage of inappropriate orders. However, CPOE systems with poorly interfaced designs can result in usability problems and finally in order errors. Evaluation of the system has to guide CPOE systems' evolutions to aid in patient safety.