Enhancement of clinician workflow with computer order entry.
Physician-operated order entry systems can bring great benefits to an institution. Such systems can improve the consistency, accuracy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of orders. When building or selecting order entry for an institution, consideration must be given to the many different scenarios in which orders are written and communicated. Transfer, post-op, pre-admission and discharge orders have different communication requirements from standard inpatient orders. In certain services, orders from a very limited set (such as warfarin orders) must be written frequently for a large number of patients. Intensive-care patients, chemotherapy patients, and others have particular requirements for ordering. A computerized order entry system should respond to these requirements in order to promote correct and efficient ordering. We present a number of these issues, their specific requirements, and the approach we have taken to ensure that the system both supports and enhances workflow.
Teich
J M
JM
Department of Information Systems, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Spurr
C D
CD
Schmiz
J L
JL
O'Connell
E M
EM
Thomas
D
D
D016303:Clinical Pharmacy Information Systems; D005568:Forms and Records Control; D006751:Hospital Information Systems; D006753:Hospital Records; D006801:Humans; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D014584:User-Computer Interface