Randomized clinical trial of a customized electronic alert requiring an affirmative response compared to a control group receiving a commercial passive CPOE alert: NSAID--warfarin co-prescribing as a test case.
BACKGROUND
Studies that have looked at the effectiveness of computerized decision support systems to prevent drug-drug interactions have reported modest results because of low response by the providers to the automated alerts.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate, within an inpatient computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system, the incremental effectiveness of an alert that required a response from the provider, intended as a stronger intervention to prevent concurrent orders of warfarin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).


METHODS
Randomized clinical trial of 1963 clinicians assigned to either an intervention group receiving a customized electronic alert requiring affirmative response or a control group receiving a commercially available passive alert as part of the CPOE. The study duration was 2 August 2006 to 15 December 2007.


METHODS
Alert adherence was compared between study groups.


RESULTS
The proportion of desired ordering responses (ie, not reordering the alert-triggering drug after firing) was lower in the intervention group (114/464 (25%) customized alerts issued) than in the control group (154/560 (28%) passive alerts firing). The adjusted OR of inappropriate ordering was 1.22 (95% CI 0.69 to 2.16).


CONCLUSIONS
A customized CPOE alert that required a provider response had no effect in reducing concomitant prescribing of NSAIDs and warfarin beyond that of the commercially available passive alert received by the control group. New CPOE alerts cannot be assumed to be effective in improving prescribing, and need evaluation.
Strom
Brian L
BL
Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Pennsylvania 19104-6021, USA. bstrom@exchange.upenn.edu
Schinnar
Rita
R
Bilker
Warren
W
Hennessy
Sean
S
Leonard
Charles E
CE
Pifer
Eric
E
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004347:Drug Interactions; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D050316:Medical Order Entry Systems; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010414:Pennsylvania; D057184:Practice Patterns, Nurses'; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D014859:Warfarin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D000925:Anticoagulants; D014859:Warfarin