Miller, Randolph A.; Johnson, Kevin B.; Hripcsak, George
citation_title
Clinical decision support and electronic prescribing systems: a time for responsible thought and action
citation_date
2005-01-01
Description
Electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) systems can provide computer-based support for the creation, transmission, dispensing, and monitoring of pharmacological therapies. In the United States and other countries, such systems have been documented, under certain conditions, to increase the safety and quality of patient care.1–5 The authors applaud the initial efforts of Teich and colleagues in the Joint Clinical Decision SupportWorkgroup (Joint CDS WG)to outline e-prescribing desiderata, as reported in this issue of JAMIA by Teich et al.6 Their article is published as an endorsed policy of the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA). Previously, Bell et al. published an excellent list of desiderata for outpatient e-prescribing and sorted the desiderata into functional categories.7 Subsequently, Wang et al. surveyed eprescribing vendor systems to determine that existing systems on average met only half the desiderata, with none exceeding 64% fulfillment.8 The recommendations outlined in the tables of the Joint CDSWGprovide a useful point of departure for future discussions. Of note, the Joint CDS WG guidelines were developed as a ‘‘commissioned work’’ with externally determined foci, time limitations, and priorities, so that those guidelines do not fully cover all relevant areas. The Joint CDS WG document therefore represents an important first step in an evolving approach to a complex set of problems.
Type
text;
citation_publisher
American Medical Informatics Association
citation_volume
12
citation_issue
4
citation_firstpage
403
Citation_lastpage
409
citation_language
eng;
Bibliographic Citation
Miller, R. A., Gardner, R. M., Johnson, K. B., & Hripcsak, G. (2005). Clinical decision support and electronic prescribing systems: a time for responsible thought and action. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 12(4), 403-9.
