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K Alagiakrishnan,1 M Ballermann,2 D Rolfson,1 K Mohindra,3 CA Sadowski,4 A Ausford,5 J Romney,6 RS Hayward71Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; 2Chief Medical Information Office, Alberta Health Services, Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; 3OpTime OR and Anesthesia, Connect Care, Information Systems, Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; 4Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; 5Department of Family Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; 6Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; 7Division of Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, CanadaBackground: Electronic medical record (EMR) alerts may inform point of care decisions, including the decision to prescribe potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) identified in the Beers criteria. EMR alerts may not be considered relevant or informative in the clinician context, leading to a phenomenon colloquially known as “alert fatigue.”Objective: To assess the frequency of clinical interaction with EMR alerts and associated deprescribing behaviors in ambulatory settings.Methods: This is a retrospective observational study in two ambulatory clinics (the Kaye Edmonton Clinic Senior’s Clinic and the Lynnwood Family Practice Clinic) in Edmonton over an observational period of 30 months. Statistical analysis was done using descriptive statistics, chi-square and regression analysis.Results: The reminder performance for interactions with the alert was 17.2% across the two clinics. The Number Needed to Remind (NNR) or mean number of alerts shown on clinician screens prior to a single interaction of any kind with the alert was 5.8. When actions were defined as a deprescribing (ie discontinuat

Kannayiram Alagiakrishnan,1 Patricia Wilson,2 Cheryl A Sadowski,3 Darryl Rolfson,1 Mark Ballermann,4,5 Allen Ausford,6,7 Karla Vermeer,7 Kunal Mohindra,8 Jacques Romney,9 Robert S Hayward10 1Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, 2Department of Medicine, 3Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, 4Chief Medical Information Office, Alberta Health Services, 5Division of Critical Care, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, 6Department of Family Medicine, University of Alberta, 7Lynwood Family Physician, 8eClinician EMR, Alberta Health Services-Information Systems, 9Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, 10Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada Background: Elderly people (aged 65 years or more) are at increased risk of polypharmacy (five or more medications), inappropriate medication use, and associated increased health care costs. The use of clinical decision support (CDS) within an electronic medical record (EMR) could improve medication safety.Methods: Participatory action research methods were applied to preproduction design and development and postproduction optimization of an EMR-embedded CDS implementation of the Beers’ Criteria for medication management and the Cockcroft–Gault formula for estimating glomerular filtration rates (GFR). The “Seniors Medication Alert and Review Technologies” (SMART) intervention was used in primary care and geriatrics specialty clinics. Passive (chart messages) and active (order-entry alerts) prompts exposed potentially inappropriate medications, decreased GFR, and the possible need for medication adjustments. Physician reactions were assessed using surveys, EMR simulations, focus groups, and semi-structured interviews. EMR audit data were used to identify eligible patient encounters, the frequency of CDS events, how alerts were managed, and when evidence links were followed