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This technical report discusses recent advances in electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) systems, including the evidence base supporting their limitations and potential benefits. Specifically, this report acknowledges that there are limited but positive pediatric data supporting the role of e-prescribing in mitigating medication errors, improving communication with dispensing pharmacists, and improving medication adherence. On the basis of these data and on the basis of federal statutes that provide incentives for the use of e-prescribing systems, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the adoption of e-prescribing systems with pediatric functionality. This report supports the accompanying policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommending the adoption of e-prescribing by pediatric health care providers.

BACKGROUND: Although pediatric electronic prescribing systems are increasingly being used in pediatric care, many of these systems lack the clinical decision-support infrastructure needed to calculate a safe and effective rounded medication dose. This infrastructure is required to facilitate tailoring of established dosing guidance while maintaining the medication's therapeutic intent. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this project was to establish best practices for generating an appropriate medication dose and to create an interoperable rounding knowledge base combining best practices and dose-rounding information. METHODS: We interviewed 19 pediatric health care and pediatric pharmacy experts and conducted a literature review. After using these data to construct initial rounding tolerances, we used a Delphi process to achieve consensus about the rounding tolerance for each commonly prescribed medication. RESULTS: Three categories for medication-rounding philosophy emerged from our literature review: (1) medications for which rounding is used judiciously to retain the intended effect; (2) medications that are rounded with attention to potential unintended effects; and (3) medications that are rarely rounded because of the potential for toxicity. We assigned a small subset of medications to a fourth category—inadequate data—for which there was insufficient information to provide rounding recommendations. For all 102 medications, we were able to arrive at a consensus recommendation for rounding a given calculated dose. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study provide the pediatric information technology community with a primary set of recommended rounding tolerances for commonly prescribed drugs. The interoperable knowledge base developed here can be integrated with existing and developing electronic prescribing systems, potentially improving prescribing safety and reducing cognitive workload.

OBJECTIVE. The goal was to investigate the impact of a computer-based documentation tool on parent-health care provider communication during a pediatric health maintenance encounter. METHODS. We used a quasiexperimental study design to compare communication dynamics between clinicians and parents/children in health maintenance visits before and after implementation of the ClicTate system. Before ClicTate use, paper forms were used to create visit notes. The children examined were ≤18 months of age. All encounters were audiotaped or videotaped. A team of research assistants blinded to group assignment reviewed the audio portion of each encounter. Data from all recordings were analyzed, by using the Roter Interaction Analysis System, for differences in the open/closed question ratio, the extent of information provided by parents and providers, and other aspects of spoken and nonverbal communication (videotaped encounters). RESULTS. Computer-based documentation visits were slightly longer than control visits (32 vs 27 minutes). With controlling for visit length, the amounts of conversation were similar during control and computer-based documentation visits. Computer-based documentation visits were associated with a greater proportion of open-ended questions (28% vs 21%), more use of partnership strategies, greater proportions of social and positive talk, and a more patient-centered interaction style but fewer orienting and transition phrases. CONCLUSIONS. The introduction of ClicTate into the health maintenance encounter positively affected several aspects of parent-clinician communication in a pediatric clinic setting. These results support the integration of computer-based documentation into primary care pediatric visits.

To the Editor .— Han et al1 describe a retrospective study in which the mortality rate for interfacility transfers into an ICU was compared before and after implementation of a computerized provider order entry (CPOE) system. The authors found that the mortality rate increased from 2.8% (30 deaths of 1394 patient transfers during 13 months) before CPOE implementation to 6.6% (36 deaths of 548 transfers during 5 months) after. The authors conclude that the increased mortality was associated directly with modifications in standard clinical processes, including the following changes: (1) not allowing order communication until the patient was physically present and registered in the admitting system; (2) relocating medication dispensing to a central (rather than a satellite) pharmacy; (3) increasing the physical separation of nursing and physician staff during the time that orders were generated; (4) implementing computerized order entry; and (5) system-wide provider role changes to support the CPOE system. Perhaps the most important lesson from this study is that there exists an intimate association between care-delivery processes and health information technology. Any shift in the methods used to manage patient care (such as implementing and using a CPOE system) is associated with significant changes in clinical workflows, communication among providers, and distribution of responsibilities.2–4 Decades of research in medical informatics have underscored the importance of this observation, a message that was not lost on the authors. In this study, they note that the increased unadjusted mortality may reflect problems with the process of change, including the extremely rapid implementation plan adopted by their organization. The authors describe other major changes in workflow and patient care processes that occurred coincident with the CPOE system implementation. For example, their …

Background. Clinical pathways for asthma are tools that have the potential to improve compliance with nationally recognized management guidelines, but their effect on patient outcomes has not been documented. Objectives. To determine the effect of an asthma clinical pathway on patients' length of stay, use of nebulized β-agonist therapy while hospitalized, and use of acute care clinics for 2 weeks after discharge. Design/Methods. The study was a randomized, controlled trial. Patients between the ages of 2 and 18 years admitted with an asthma exacerbation and not under the care of an asthma specialist were eligible for the study. Patients were randomized either to a conventional ward (control group) or to a ward using the clinical pathway (intervention group). For 2 weeks after discharge, we collected data to determine whether patients visited a health care provider for worsening asthma. Results. One hundred ten patients (26%) were enrolled. Control and intervention groups had similar demographic and asthma severity profiles. The intervention group had an average length of stay 13 hours shorter than did the control group. In addition, at every dosing interval, the intervention group received less nebulized β-agonist therapy. There were no deaths in either group. Conclusion. A clinical pathway for inpatient asthma decreased the length of stay and β-agonist medication use with no adverse outcomes or increased acute-care encounters through 2 weeks after discharge.

We appreciate the opportunity to respond to the questions posed about the results of our study, describing the impact of computer-based documentation on parent-provider communications. The reader may have misinterpreted some of our results. We will attempt to clarify them here. As noted in our article, the study consisted of a control group, in which structured paper …

Support groups are an important therapeutic intervention for patients with chronic debilitating illnesses. Patients who are difficult to assemble in one physical location may benefit from participating in an electronic support group (ESG). ESGs for adolescents have not been evaluated, although studies have shown a benefit to adult ESGs. Our goals were to create a web-based support service for adolescents with cystic fibrosis (CF) and to qualitatively and quantitatively measure the effects that such a support site could have on patients' relationships with the clinic faculty and staff, access to and interaction with peers with CF, and understanding of CF. Methods. A highly interactive ESG was developed after discussions with a team of CF specialists and patients. Eighteen of 37 teenagers with CF agreed to use this site. Each patient was asked to assess his or her perceived availability of and comfort with the clinic staff and faculty, perceived support available through peers, knowledge about CF, and perceived usefulness of the Internet as a support tool. Results. Participants logged into the site an average of 4 times each month. Teens who owned home computers accessed the site somewhat more frequently than did teens who were provided with home Internet access for the study. Most activity occurred in those sections of the site that described the participants and that allowed them to socialize. Over one half of the participants e-mailed each other at least once a week, with 77% e-mailing peers at least every other week. There was no significant difference in the participants' scores on a quiz about CF at the beginning and the end of the study; however, there was a significant decrease in perceptions about their knowledge about CF. At the conclusion of the study, participants believed that they had more friends who they could relate to than they did at the beginning of the study. Clinic staff noticed an increase in references to peers among the group who were using the site. In addition, 4 of the teens expressed a desire to get together to meet each other as a result of their interactions on the web site. There was no significant change in perceptions about the perceived availability and comfort with the clinic staff and faculty, support available through peers, knowledge about CF, and the usefulness of the Internet as a support environment. Managing the project was extremely easy, with virtually no technical or procedural issues arising during the study. Conclusions. Teenagers with a chronic disease will actively participate in an ESG. The social and expressive aspects of their involvement with this support group hold much promise.