title: Physician response to a medication alert system in inpatients with levodopa-treated diseases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the appropriateness of dopamine receptor antagonist prescriptions in hospitalized patients with dopamine-requiring diseases after implementation of an automated prescription alert system.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined dopamine receptor antagonist prescriptions in hospitalized patients with dopamine-requiring diseases and physician response to an automated drug contraindication alert system at Barnes-Jewish Hospital from 2009 to 2013. A detailed review of patient medical records was performed for all alert events generated when a physician prescribed a dopamine receptor antagonist concurrently with a dopamine receptor agonist in hospitalized patients. Two movement disorders neurologists determined the appropriateness of each prescription, based on patient medical history, through consensus. Physician response to alert was compared by indication for the prescription and physician specialty.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 237 orders, 197 (83.1%) prescriptions for dopamine receptor antagonists were considered inappropriate. The prevalence of inappropriate dopamine receptor antagonist prescriptions per levodopa prescriptions was 16.10% (95% confidence interval 9.47, 22.73) in psychiatry, 7.51% (6.16, 8.86) in general medicine, 6.14% (4.49, 7.79) in the surgical specialties, and 0.85% (0.46, 1.25) in the neurologic/neurosurgical specialties. Of the inappropriate prescriptions, 146 (74.1%) were continued despite the alert. The strongest predictor of discontinuation of dopamine receptor antagonist medications was use of the medication to treat nausea or emesis (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite successfully identifying instances when dopamine antagonists were prescribed to patients with dopamine-requiring diseases, the alert system modestly affected physician prescribing behavior, highlighting the need for improved education of health care providers.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology (M.M., A.B., B.A.R.), Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; Departments of Neurology and Biostatistics and Epidemiology (A.W.W.), Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA; Department of Neurology (S.S.N.), University of Washington, Seattle, WA; Barnes-Jewish Hospital (F.M.), St. Louis, MO; and School of Public Health (B.A.R.), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown, South Africa.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology (M.M., A.B., B.A.R.), Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; Departments of Neurology and Biostatistics and Epidemiology (A.W.W.), Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA; Department of Neurology (S.S.N.), University of Washington, Seattle, WA; Barnes-Jewish Hospital (F.M.), St. Louis, MO; and School of Public Health (B.A.R.), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown, South Africa.
authors.forename: Allison W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Willis
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology (M.M., A.B., B.A.R.), Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; Departments of Neurology and Biostatistics and Epidemiology (A.W.W.), Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA; Department of Neurology (S.S.N.), University of Washington, Seattle, WA; Barnes-Jewish Hospital (F.M.), St. Louis, MO; and School of Public Health (B.A.R.), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown, South Africa.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Searles Nielsen
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology (M.M., A.B., B.A.R.), Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; Departments of Neurology and Biostatistics and Epidemiology (A.W.W.), Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA; Department of Neurology (S.S.N.), University of Washington, Seattle, WA; Barnes-Jewish Hospital (F.M.), St. Louis, MO; and School of Public Health (B.A.R.), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown, South Africa.
authors.forename: Franklin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: McCann
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology (M.M., A.B., B.A.R.), Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; Departments of Neurology and Biostatistics and Epidemiology (A.W.W.), Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA; Department of Neurology (S.S.N.), University of Washington, Seattle, WA; Barnes-Jewish Hospital (F.M.), St. Louis, MO; and School of Public Health (B.A.R.), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown, South Africa.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Birke
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Neurology (M.M., A.B., B.A.R.), Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; Departments of Neurology and Biostatistics and Epidemiology (A.W.W.), Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA; Department of Neurology (S.S.N.), University of Washington, Seattle, WA; Barnes-Jewish Hospital (F.M.), St. Louis, MO; and School of Public Health (B.A.R.), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown, South Africa. racetteb@neuro.wustl.edu.
authors.forename: Brad A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Racette
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007980:Levodopa / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D050316:Medical Order Entry Systems / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000517:prevention & control; D008875:Middle Aged; D010819:Physician's Role; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D007980:Levodopa