A Clinical Reminder Order Check Intervention to Improve Guideline-concordant Imaging Practices for Men With Prostate Cancer: A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVE: To understand how to potentially improve inappropriate prostate cancer imaging rates we used National Comprehensive Cancer Network's guidelines to design and implement a Clinical Reminder Order Check (CROC) that alerts ordering providers of potentially inappropriate imaging orders in real-time based on patient features of men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer. METHODS: We implemented the CROC at VA New York Harbor Healthcare System from April 2, 2015 to November 15, 2017. We then used VA administrative claims from the VA's Corporate Data Warehouse to analyze imaging rates among men with low-risk prostate cancer at VA New York Harbor Healthcare System before and after CROC implementation. We also collected and cataloged provider responses in response to overriding the CROC in qualitative analysis. RESULTS FIFTY SEVEN PERCENT: (117/205) of Veterans before CROC installation and 73% (61/83) of Veterans post-intervention with low-risk prostate cancer received guideline-concordant care. CONCLUSION: While the decrease in inappropriate imaging during our study window was almost certainly due to many factors, a Computerized Patient Record System-based CROC intervention is likely associated with at least moderate improvement in guideline-concordant imaging practices for Veterans with low-risk prostate cancer.

Effectiveness of Best Practice Alerts for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Orders in Older Adults in the Ambulatory Setting.

INTRODUCTION: Information is limited about the effectiveness of best practice alerts (BPAs) for potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) in improving clinical outcomes in older adults. OBJECTIVE: To assess clinical outcomes of 11 BPAs for PIMs in older adults in the ambulatory setting. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at an integrated health care delivery system with computerized provider order entry. Patients aged 65 years and older were included if they had a BPA triggered when a prescriber attempted to order a sedating PIM in the ambulatory setting. Patients were categorized into dispensed and nondispensed groups if they did and did not, respectively, have the study PIM for which the BPA was triggered dispensed within 30 days of the alert. Rates of fall, fracture, or other injury and cognitive impairment were measured during 180-day follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 2704 patients were included: 1373 (50.8%) and 1331 (49.2%) in the dispensed and nondispensed groups, respectively. The dispensed group had a lower unadjusted rate of fall/fracture/injury (3.4% vs 5.3%, p = 0.019), but this difference was attenuated with multivariable adjustment (adjusted odds ratio = 0.77, 95% confidence interval = 0.51-1.13). There was no difference in the rate of cognitive impairment between groups (4.6% vs 4.4%, adjusted odds ratio = 1.40, 95% confidence interval = 0.95-2.05). CONCLUSION: No association was identified between PIM dispensing after a prescriber was alerted with a BPA and reduced rates of falls/fractures/injuries and cognitive impairment.

Randomized Clinical Trial of a Clinical Decision Support Tool for Improving the Appropriateness Scores for Ordering Imaging Studies in Primary and Specialty Care Ambulatory Clinics.

OBJECTIVE. The objective of our study was to evaluate whether the use of a clinical decision support (CDS) tool improved the appropriateness scores of orders for advanced imaging in clinical practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS. We used a stepped-wedge, cluster randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a CDS tool in an integrated health care system. Clinicians entered structured indications for each CT and MRI order, and the indications were electronically scored against appropriateness criteria to assign an appropriateness score. We compared the proportion of orders with adjusted appropriateness scores of 7 or greater (on a 1-9 scale) before and after activation of best practice alerts (BPAs) triggered for orders with low or marginal appropriateness scores. Secondary outcomes included the rate per month of orders for advanced imaging and the proportion of orders for which the radiology department requested changes. RESULTS. Between October 2015 and February 2016, 941 clinicians ordered 22,279 CT or MRI studies that met eligibility criteria. Before activation of the BPA, the mean proportion of appropriate orders (adjusted for time and clinic effect) was 77.0% (95% CI, 75.5-78.4%), which increased to 80.1% (95% CI, 78.7-81.5%) after activation (p = 0.001). There was no significant change in the rate of orders per month for advanced imaging. The proportion of order changes requested by the radiology department decreased from 5.7% (95% CI, 5.6-5.9%) before CDS implementation to 5.3% (95% CI, 5.1-5.5%) after CDS implementation (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION. Using an evidence-based CDS tool in clinical practice was associated with a modest but significant improvement in the appropriateness scores of advanced imaging orders.

Failure of a Best Practice Alert to Reduce Antibiotic Prescribing Rates for Acute Sinusitis Across an Integrated Health System in the Midwest.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance is a growing concern, and in recent years, there has been increased interest in ambulatory antimicrobial stewardship. Acute rhinosinusitis (ARS) is one of the most common outpatient diagnoses that results in an antibiotic prescription. OBJECTIVE: To determine if a best practice alert (BPA) will affect the percentage of oral antibiotic prescriptions for adults with ARS. METHODS: A prospective, pre/post study was initiated to evaluate the percentage of oral antibiotic prescriptions for ARS in 117 primary care clinics in the Midwest. Included in the study results were 16,570 adults who had an office visit for ARS: 8,106 patients from December 1, 2015, to February 28, 2016, were in the pre-intervention group without an active BPA, and 8,464 patients from December 1, 2016, to February 28, 2017, were in the post-intervention group when the BPA was active. The primary outcome was the number of oral antibiotic prescriptions for ARS compared with the number of office visits for ARS in the pre- and postintervention groups. RESULTS: The percentage of oral antibiotics prescribed for the pre- and postintervention groups were 94.8% and 94.3%, respectively (P = 0.152). The BPA displayed for 7,780 visits, prompting discontinuation of an antibiotic for 10 (0.1%) visits in the postintervention group. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that, although an electronic alert may be attractive to facilitate antimicrobial stewardship, it may be ineffective. These results warrant alternative measures to facilitate ambulatory antimicrobial stewardship. DISCLOSURES: No outside funding supported this study. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. Study concept and design were contributed by Hansen, D. Leedahl, and N. Leedahl. Hansen and N. Leedahl took the lead in data collection, with assistance from Carson and D. Leedahl. Data interpretation was performed by all the authors. The manuscript was written by Hansen, along with the other authors, and revised by all the authors.

Prescription Errors with Chemotherapy: Quality Improvement through Standardized Order Templates.

BACKGROUND: Despite the existence of established guidelines advocating the use and value of chemotherapy order templates, chemotherapy orders are still handwritten in many hospitals in Lebanon. This manuscript describes the implementation of standardized chemotherapy order templates (COT) in a Lebanese tertiary teaching hospital through multiple steps. INITIAL ASSESSMENT: An initial assessment was conducted through a retrospective appraisal of completeness of handwritten chemotherapy orders for 100 adult patients to serve as a baseline for the project and identify parameters that might afford improvement. CHOICE OF SOLUTION: Development of over 300 standardized pre-printed COTs based on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network templates and adapted to the practice culture and patient population. IMPLEMENTATION: The COTs were implemented, using Kotter's 8-step model for leading change, by engaging health care providers, and identifying and removing barriers. EVALUATION: Assessment of physicians' compliance with the new practice (122 orders assessed) was completed through two phases and allowed for the identification of areas of improvement. LESSONS LEARNED: Overall, COT implementation showed an average improvement in order completion from 49.5% (handwritten orders) to 77.6% (phase 1-COT) to 87.6% (phase 2-COT) reflecting an increase of 38.1% between baseline and phase 2 and demonstrating that chemotherapy orders completeness was improved by pre-printed COT. As many of the hospitals in Lebanon are moving towards standardized COTs and computerized physician order entry (CPOE) in the next few years, this study provides a prototype for the successful implementation of COT and demonstrates their role in promoting quality improvement of cancer care.

Application of an importance-performance analysis approach to evaluate an acupuncture treatment information system.

Acupuncture treatment has become increasingly popular worldwide, but it is not without risk to the patient. Most physicians in Taiwan have adopted a computerized physician order entry system for traditional Chinese medicine. Use of such a system can prevent some adverse events related to a paper-based system but increases other unexpected risks. This study is the first to introduce a patient safety-based acupuncture treatment information system that integrates advanced healthcare devices to reduce the risks associated with acupuncture treatment using a computerized physician order entry system for traditional Chinese medicine. The acupuncture treatment information system considerably improved patient safety and increased clinicians' workflow efficiency. The importance-performance analysis indicated that improvement in the vital sign measurement function was of the highest priority. In conclusion, acupuncture treatment--the demand for which is increasing--can be performed more safely using an acupuncture treatment information system.

Diet order entry by registered dietitians results in a reduction in error rates and time delays compared with other health professionals.

In January 2009, registered dietitians (RDs) at St Michael's Hospital (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) were granted approval for nonmedication order entry of physician-approved nutrition-related orders for the patients to whom RDs provided care. The aim of this project was to document any changes in the numbers and types of diet order errors and time delays that were associated with this policy change. A retrospective chart audit was conducted to document the error rate in 672 nutrition-related orders placed before, and in 633 orders placed after, implementation of RD diet order entry on high-risk inpatient units. Error rates for all nutrition-related orders decreased by 15% after RD order entry access (P<0.01). Error rates for diet orders entered by RDs were significantly lower in comparison with those entered by clerical assistants or registered nurses (P<0.001). Time delays for orders electronically entered were reduced by 39% (from 9.1 to 5.7 hours; P<0.01). Allowing RDs access to the electronic order entry system has improved overall timeliness of nonmedication order entries and improved patient safety by decreasing error rates in diet orders. This study supports this institutional policy change and provides evidence that RDs have the knowledge and skills to accurately process nonmedication order entries for the patients they have assessed. Finally, the current findings support the need for ongoing education and training of all health professionals in nonmedication order entry to reduce errors and improve safety.

Improving prescribing safety in patients with renal insufficiency in the ambulatory setting: the Drug Renal Alert Pharmacy (DRAP) program.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a computerized Drug Renal Alert Pharmacy (DRAP) program could decrease the rate of medication errors in drug selection or dosing for 15 target drugs in patients with renal insufficiency. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled, population-based effectiveness trial. SETTING: A large integrated health care delivery system. PATIENTS: A total of 32,917 health plan members who were at least 18 years old, had an estimated creatinine clearance of 50 ml/minute or lower, and were not receiving dialysis between December 1, 2003, and February 28, 2005, were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (16,577 patients) or usual care (control) group (16,340 patients). Of the 32,917 patients, 6125 patients (3025 in the intervention group and 3100 in the usual care group) were prescribed at least one target drug and were included in the analysis. INTERVENTION: A computerized tool--the DRAP program--was used to alert pharmacists at the time of dispensing to possible errors in target drug selection and dosing for patients with renal insufficiency. The 15 target drugs were previously identified based on frequency of use in our health care system and risk of serious adverse events. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The primary outcome was the proportion of medication errors, defined as target drugs that should be avoided or were dosed inappropriately, in the intervention and usual care groups. The Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework was used to evaluate the intervention's potential for translation and generalizability. Among the 6125 patients who received a target drug, no significant differences were noted in age, sex, creatinine clearance, comorbid conditions, and number of target drugs between groups at baseline. Over the 15-month intervention period, the proportion of medication errors was significantly lower in the intervention group than the usual care group (33% vs 49%, p<0.001). After the study period, when the intervention was expanded to both groups, a 20% reduction in errors was sustained in the combined groups over the subsequent 7 months. CONCLUSION: The DRAP program was successful in reducing medication errors for patients with renal insufficiency in an ambulatory setting and was demonstrated to have sustainability after study completion.