Computerized prescriber order entry implementation in a physician assistant-managed hematology and oncology inpatient service: effects on workflow and task switching.

PURPOSE: Little is known about the impact of computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) systems on inpatient hematology/oncology services. The objective of this study was to quantify the impact of an inpatient CPOE implementation on workflow, with an emphasis on ordering and direct patient care time. METHODS: We conducted a direct-observation time-and-motion study of the provider team of a hematology/oncology inpatient service both before and after CPOE implementation, characterizing workflow into 60 distinct activity categories. The provider team comprised physician assistants supervised by attending physicians. Results were adjusted to account for variations in the census. We also conducted an analysis of computer logs to assess CPOE system usage. RESULTS: Study participants were observed for 228.0 hours over 53 observation sessions. There was little change in the proportion of census-adjusted time spent on ordering (10.2% before v 11.4% after) and on direct patient care (50.7% before v 47.8% after). Workflow fragmentation decreased, with providers spending an average of 131.2 seconds on a continuous task before implementation and 218.3 seconds after (P < .01). An eight-fold decrease in the number of pages was observed during the course of the study. CONCLUSION: CPOE implementation did not negatively affect time available for direct patient care. Workflow fragmentation decreased, which is likely beneficial.

Increasing medication error reporting rates while reducing harm through simultaneous cultural and system-level interventions in an intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVE: This study analyses patterns in reporting rates of medication errors, rates of medication errors with harm, and responses to the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ), all in the context of four cultural and three system-level interventions for medication safety in an intensive care unit. METHODS: Over a period of 2.5 years (May 2007 to November 2009), seven overlapping interventions to improve medication safety and reporting were implemented: a poster tracking 'days since last medication error resulting in harm', a continuous slideshow showing performance metrics in the staff lounge, multiple didactic curricula, unit-wide emails summarising medication errors, computerised physician order entry, introduction of unit-based pharmacy technicians for medication delivery, and patient safety report form streamlining. The reporting rate of medication errors and errors with harm were analysed over time using statistical process control. SAQ responses were collected annually. RESULTS: Subsequent to the interventions, the reporting rate of medication errors increased 25%, from an average of 3.16 to 3.95 per 10,000 doses dispensed (p<0.09), while the rate of medication errors resulting in harm decreased 71%, from an average of 0.56 to 0.16 per 10,000 doses dispensed (p<0.01). The SAQ showed improvement in all 13 survey items related to medication safety, five of which were significant (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Actively developing a transparent and positive safety culture at the unit level can improve medication safety. System-level mechanisms to promote medication safety are likely important factors that enable safety culture to translate into better outcomes, but may be independently ineffective in the face of poor safety culture.