title: Impact of a reengineered electronic error-reporting system on medication event reporting and care process improvements at an urban medical center.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A study was conducted to evaluate the impact of a reengineered approach to electronic error reporting at a 719-bed multidisciplinary urban medical center.
  
  
  METHODS
  The main outcome of interest was the monthly reported medication errors during the preimplementation (20 months) and postimplementation (26 months) phases. An interrupted time series analysis was used to describe baseline errors, immediate change following implementation of the current electronic error-reporting system (e-ERS), and trend of error reporting during postimplementation. Errors were categorized according to severity using the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP) Medication Error Index classifications. Reported errors were further analyzed by reporter and error site.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During preimplementation, the monthly reported errors mean was 40.0 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 36.3-43.7). Immediately following e-ERS implementation, monthly reported errors significantly increased by 19.4 errors (95% CI: 8.4-30.5). The change in slope of reported errors trend was estimated at 0.76 (95% CI: 0.07-1.22). Near misses and no-patient-harm errors accounted for 90% of all errors, while errors that caused increased patient monitoring or temporary harm accounted for 9% and 1%, respectively. Nurses were the most frequent reporters, while physicians were more likely to report high-severity errors. Medical care units accounted for approximately half of all reported errors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Following the intervention, there was a significant increase in reporting of prevented errors and errors that reached the patient with no resultant harm. This improvement in reporting was sustained for 26 months and has contributed to designing and implementing quality improvement initiatives to enhance the safety of the medication use process.
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McKaig
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.forename: Khaled A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Elsaid
mesh_terms: D016907:Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006746:Hospital Bed Capacity, 500 and over; D006748:Hospital Departments / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006786:Hospitals, Urban / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007256:Information Systems / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D020407:Internet; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D061214:Patient Safety / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010564:Personnel, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D058996:Quality Improvement / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012308:Risk Management / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data