Computerized Electronic Order Set: Use and Outcomes for Heart Failure Following Hospitalization

Quality improvement initiatives improve health care delivery but may be resource intensive and disrupt clinical care. An embedded heart failure order set (HFOS) within a computerized physician order-entry system may mitigate these concerns.

An HFOS, based on proven interventions, was implemented within an existing computerized physician order-entry system in all adult acute-care hospitals in a single Canadian metropolitan city and interrogated between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2015. The composite of repeat hospitalization or death within 30 days of hospital discharge and hospital length of stay were reported.

In total, 8969 patients were included with mean age 75.6 ± 13.5 years; 4673 (52.1%) were male. The HFOS was used in 731 (8.2%) patients. After analysis of 724 pairs of propensity-score matched cohorts, patients with HFOS use experienced a lower median length of stay (8.6 vs 9.4 days, P = 0.016) and a trend toward lower composite repeat hospitalization or death (14.5% vs 17.7%, P = 0.115, hazard ratio 0.79 (0.60-1.05). Patients with HFOS use were more likely to undergo a test for left ventricular ejection fraction (88.6% vs 76.7%, P < 0.001, and to be referred to a heart failure clinic (48.5% vs 6.3%), with similar rates of discharge prescription of beta-blockers (88.7% vs 86.3) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (87.4% vs 89.0%).

Use of a designated HFOS within a computerized physician order-entry system is associated with shorter hospital length of stay without increase in deaths or readmissions. These findings should be confirmed in a prospective controlled trial.