Impact of emerging technologies on medication errors and adverse drug events

• HIT Description: Computerized physician order entry, automated dispensing machines, bar coding, and computerized medication administration records. More info...
  
• Purpose of Study: Assess the effect of these HIT systems on medication errors and adverse drug events.
  
• Years of study: Not Available
  
• Study Design: Systematic review of studies of all types. Most were not controlled trials.
  
• Outcomes: Adverse drug events and medication errors.
  

• Intervention: Computerized physician order entry, automated dispensing machines, bar coding, and computerized medication administration records.
• Evaluation Method: Varied across studies but included assessment of medication error rates and adverse drug events.
• Quality of Care and Patient Safety Outcome: The authors concluded based on 11 studies of computerized physician order entry that use of these systems resulted in decreases in medication errors and potential adverse drug events. From seven studies of automated dispensing machines the authors concluded that use of these systems resulted in decrease in dispensing error rates. From seven studies of bar coding the authors concluded that use of these systems resulted in decrease of medication errors and from five studies of computerized medication administration records the authors reached no conclusion.