1. A mixed method study of the merits of e-prescribing drug alerts in primary care.
- Author
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Lapane, Kate L., Waring, Molly E., Schneider, Karen L., Dubé, Catherine, Quilliam, Brian J., and Dubé, Catherine
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MEDICAL care , *PRIMARY care , *DRUG side effects , *DRUG prescribing , *MEDICAL research , *MEDICAL technology , *MEDICAL informatics , *CLINICAL trials , *MEDICATION error prevention , *ATTITUDE (Psychology) , *DRUG therapy , *COMPUTERS , *FOCUS groups , *PHARMACY databases , *COMPUTERS in medicine , *NURSE practitioners , *GENERAL practitioners , *PHYSICIANS' assistants , *PRIMARY health care , *RESEARCH funding , *ACQUISITION of data , *HEALTH care reminder systems , *POLYPHARMACY - Abstract
Objectives: The objective of this paper was to describe primary care prescribers' perspectives on electronic prescribing drug alerts at the point of prescribing.Design: We used a mixed-method study which included clinician surveys (web-based and paper) and focus groups with prescribers and staff.Participants: Prescribers (n = 157) working in one of 64 practices using 1 of 6 e-prescribing technologies in 6 US states completed the quantitative survey and 276 prescribers and staff participated in focus groups.Measurements: The study measures self-reported frequency of overriding of drug alerts; open-ended responses to: "What do you think of the drug alerts your software generates for you?"Results: More than 40% of prescribers indicated they override drug-drug interactions most of the time or always (range by e-prescribing system, 25% to 50%). Participants indicated that the software and the interaction alerts were beneficial to patient safety and valued seeing drug-drug interactions for medications prescribed by others. However, they noted that alerts are too sensitive and often unnecessary. Participant suggestions included: (1) run drug alerts on an active medication list and (2) allow prescribers to set the threshold for severity of alerts.Conclusions: Primary care prescribers recognize the patient safety value of drug prescribing alerts embedded within electronic prescribing software. Improvements to increase specificity and reduce alert overload are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2008
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