PREVALENCE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF COMPUTERIZED PROVIDER ORDER ENTRY SYSTEMS IN THE US

Abstract

Though computerized provider /physician order entry (CPOE) has received great attention in recent years as a means to reduce medical errors, studies to determine its prevalence and characteristics are limited. This descriptive study was undertaken to replicate and extend the work of Ash, Gorman and Hersh (1998) via a telephone survey in an effort to determine the change in prevalence of CPOE over time as well as characteristics of systems in place, characteristics of facilities with and without CPOE in place, goals of CPOE, formal CPOE evaluation completion and plans to implement CPOE. A total of 189 responses were received which revealed a/an, (1) decrease of 18% in the prevalence of CPOE, (2) increase in inducement, (3) increase in participation, (4) increase in the saturation. Characteristics of CPOE systems and the facilities in which they are in use are described in this study, as well as CPOE goals. Plans for CPOE implementation in the respondent facilities are also discussed.