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The following is a summary of “Reduced prevalence of drug-related problems in psychiatric inpatients after implementation of a pharmacist-supported computerized physician order entry system – a retrospective cohort study,” published in the April 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Wien et al.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to investigate whether a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system with clinical decision support system (CDSS) and pharmacist-led medication checks reduced drug-related problems (DRPs) for psychiatric inpatients during hospitalization and at discharge.

They reviewed medication charts and electronic patient records of 54 patients before (cohort I) and 65 after (cohort II) CPOE implementation. A clinical pharmacist conducted the review. All identified DRPs were collected and classified based on ‘The PCNE Classification V9.1’, the German database DokuPIK, and the ‘NCC MERP Taxonomy of Medication Errors.’

The results showed a significant decrease in DRPs after implementing the CPOE system with CDSS. On average, cohort I (without CPOE) had 6 DRPs per patient, while Cohort II (with CPOE) had 3.3. This translates to a 46.8% reduction (OR=0.545, 95% CI 0.412-0.721, P<0.001). Erroneous prescriptions were the most common DRP in Cohort I (34.8%) and significantly decreased in Cohort II (5.6%). The in-depth review identified more DRPs than daily analyses, and patients in Cohort II had fewer unresolved DRPs at discharge.

Investigators found that a CPOE system with CDSS decreased DRPs, particularly prescription errors, and led to fewer unresolved DRPs at discharge. Still, more than medication chart analysis is needed to capture all DRPs.

Source: frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1304844/full#h12