title: Computerized physician order entry of a sedation protocol is not associated with improved sedation practice or outcomes in critically ill patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) analgesia-sedation protocols may improve sedation practice and patients' outcomes. We aimed to evaluate the impact of the introduction of CPOE protocol.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospective, observational cohort study of adult patients receiving mechanical ventilation, requiring intravenous infusion of analgesics and/or sedatives, and expected to stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) ≥24 h. As a quality improvement project, the study had three phases: phase 1, no protocol, July 1st to September 30th, 2010; phase 2, post implementation of CPOE protocol, October 1st to December 31st, 2010; and phase 3, revised (age, kidney and liver function adjusted) CPOE protocol, August 1st to October 31st, 2011. Multivariate analyses were performed to determine the independent predictors of mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two hundred seventy nine patients were included (no protocol = 91, CPOE protocol = 97, revised CPOE protocol = 91). Implementation of CPOE protocol was associated with increase of the average daily dose of fentanyl (3720 ± 3286 vs. 2647 ± 2212 mcg/day; p = 0.009) and decrease of hospital length of stay (40 ± 37 vs. 63 ± 85 days, p = 0.02). The revised CPOE protocol was associated with, compared to the CPOE protocol, a decrease of the average daily dose of fentanyl (2208 ± 2115 vs. 3720 ± 3286 mcg/day, p = 0.0002) and lorazepam (0 ± 0 vs. 0.06 ± 0.26 mg/day, p = 0.04), sedation-related complications during ICU stay (3.3 % vs. 29.9 %, p <0.0001), and ICU mortality (18 % vs. 39 %, p = 0.001). The impact of the revised CPOE protocol was more evident on patients aged >70 years or with severe kidney or liver impairment. Both the original CPOE protocol and the revised CPOE protocol were not independent predictors of ICU (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.85, confidence interval [CI] = 0.90-3.78; p = 0.09; aOR = 0.70, CI = 0.32-1.53, p = 0.37; respectively) or hospital mortality (aOR = 1.12, CI = 0.57-2.21, p = 0.74; aOR = 0.80, CI = 0.40-1.59, p = 0.52; respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The implementation of a CPOE analgesia-sedation protocol was not associated with improved sedation practices or patients' outcome but with unpredicted increases of an analgesic dose. However, the revised CPOE protocol (age, kidney and liver function adjusted) was associated with improved sedation practices. This study highlights the importance of carefully evaluating the impact of changes in practice to detect unanticipated outcomes.
authors.affiliation: King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. haddads55@yahoo.com.|The Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. haddads55@yahoo.com.|Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Intensive Care Department, King Abdulaziz Medical City, P.O. Box 22490, Riyadh, 11426, Saudi Arabia. haddads55@yahoo.com.|Intensive Care Department, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. haddads55@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Samir H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Haddad
authors.affiliation: King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. catgon28@yahoo.com.|Nursing Services, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. catgon28@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Catherine B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Gonzales
authors.affiliation: King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. deebah@ngha.med.sa.|King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. deebah@ngha.med.sa.
authors.forename: Ahmad M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Deeb
authors.affiliation: King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. hani_t@hotmail.com.|King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. hani_t@hotmail.com.|Department of Internal Medicine, Clinical Research Institute, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon. hani_t@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Hani M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Tamim
authors.affiliation: King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. aldawooda@hotmail.com.|King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. aldawooda@hotmail.com.|Intensive Care Department, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. aldawooda@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Abdulaziz S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: AlDawood
authors.affiliation: King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. drbabtaini@gmail.com.|King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. drbabtaini@gmail.com.|Trauma & Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. drbabtaini@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Al Babtain
authors.affiliation: King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. naidvb@ngha.med.sa.|Nursing Services, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. naidvb@ngha.med.sa.
authors.forename: Brintha S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Naidu
authors.affiliation: King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. yaseenarabi@yahoo.com.|The Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. yaseenarabi@yahoo.com.|King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. yaseenarabi@yahoo.com.|King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. yaseenarabi@yahoo.com.|Intensive Care Department, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. yaseenarabi@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Yaseen M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Arabi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016638:Critical Illness; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005283:Fentanyl / Q000008:administration & dosage; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D007902:Length of Stay; D008140:Lorazepam / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D050316:Medical Order Entry Systems; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D008140:Lorazepam; D005283:Fentanyl