Can IT Systems Minimize Human Error?
IT-enabled medication management strategies tap computerized provider order entry (CPOE), bar-coded electronic medication administration records and clinical decision support modules in electronic health records to reduce medication errors. They have their work cut out for them: The Institute of Medicine estimates that 1.5 million preventable medication errors occur in the U.S. every year, costing some $8 billion. Reducing these errors is a major focus of the federal push for electronic medical records with CPOE. But even the technologies’ biggest advocates say IT systems might address one type of error only to introduce a new one. For example, studies have shown that electronic medication ordering can reduce transcription errors by 55 to 85 percent, but side effects might include workflow disruption and silos of inaccessible patient information. “I don’t think too many people would argue that the need for doing things electronically isn’t important, but we are examining these systems
