Utilization of an Integrated Electronic Health Record in the Emergency Department to Increase Prospective Medication Order Review by Pharmacists

Abstract

Purpose:

The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of an integrated medical record system on prospective medication order verification by pharmacists in the emergency department (ED) of a level I trauma center.

Methods:

This was a single-center retrospective analysis comparing medication orders verified by a pharmacist during a 7-day period in 2013 (phase I) versus 2015 (phase II). Outcome measures include the percentage of medication orders reviewed by a pharmacist prior to administration and time from order entry to each of the following: pharmacist review, medication procurement from an automated dispensing cabinet (ADC), and medication administration.

Results:

In total, 5450 medication orders were included in the study. The percentage of medication orders reviewed by a pharmacist prior to administration increased from 51.8% to 94% in phase I versus phase II, respectively (P < .001). Median time from order entry to pharmacist verification decreased from 13 to 4 minutes in phase I versus phase II, respectively (P < .001). Time from order entry to ADC dispense increased from a median of 9 minutes in phase I to 15 minutes in phase II (P < .001). Time from order entry to nursing administration increased from a median time of 15 minutes in phase I to 23 minutes in phase II (P < .001).

Conclusion:

Implementation of prospective pharmacist order verification in the ED increased the percentage of medications reviewed by a pharmacist prior to administration and improved pharmacist efficiency in the medication verification process. This increase in pharmacist review was associated with a marginal increase in time to medication procurement and administration.

Keywords

emergency department pharmacist order verification

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