Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) System

In this paper, computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems will be discussed. The reduction of medication errors as a result of CPOE will be addressed, as well as, the possible errors or problems that it can still cause. The ease of use and how clinician input affects the efficiency, usability and safety will be included. Lastly, possible solutions to the problems and issues that arise from CPOE will also be provided. CPOE systems are very effective at reducing errors and assist with workflow. However, vigilance from IT and nursing informatics is necessary.
Description of CPOE
Computerized physician order entry is the process of a medical professional entering medication orders, as well as, other orders and instructions electronically

Medication safety is a primary concern of every practitioner. A medication error is a huge component of patient safety and as such, vigiliance is imperative when administering medications to patients. Medicaton errors can lead to adverse reactions which can lead to significant harm and even death. The implementation of CPOE has helped significantly improve medication errors. Studies have shown that medication errors have been reduced by 48% with the use of CPOE (Radley et al, 2013). This reduction is an important factor as medicine becomes more digitalized and electronic health records systems become more integrated into patient care. CPOE can reduce medication errors at the ordering and transcribing levels by providing clear and legible orders. However, errors still exist at the dispensing and administration levels. These errors can also be further significantly reduced with the implementation of additional resources and functions. There are system flaws and human error factors to take into account. Many errors occur due to incorrect drug formularies, outdated protocols and order sets, nonstandard terminology, lack of standards for alerts and warnings, and too many steps to complete tasks have also been

CPOE systems should include some form of CDSS. Furthermore, CDSS can improve safety with all types of orders as well. A CDSS system can set up default values for medication doses, routes of administration, and frequency. It should offer a function that checks for allergies and drug interactions. Additionally, it should correlate medications with laboratory results. It needs to issue an alert or warning for practitioners when ordering medications that may harm a patient due to abnormal lab results. Another function that can be implemented is a barcode medication administration system. Every time a patient’s id band is scanned, the system can alert the practitioner if it is the right medication, the right person, the right dosage, right route and the right time. If it is correlated with all of the patients labs, it can even send an alert advising that the patient should not receive the medication due to abnormal labs that may have been not reviewed by the practitioner yet. The CDSS functions can help prevent errors of commission as well as errors of omission. These systems are much more advanced and complex but they can truly help to improve patient safety by providing the ability to significantly reduce and almost eliminate different types of