Enhancement of clinician workflow with computer order entry

• Published in: Proceedings - Symposium on Computer Application in Medical Care pp. 459 - 463
• Main Authors: Teich, J M, Spurr, C D, Schmiz, J L, O'Connell, E M, Thomas, D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Medical Informatics Association 1995
• Subjects: Clinical Pharmacy Information Systems; Forms and Records Control; Hospital Information Systems; Hospital Records; Humans; Medical Records Systems, Computerized; Patient Care Planning; User-Computer Interface
• ISSN: 0195-4210

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.