Quality-Improvement Research Evaluation

Computerized Physician Order Entry Effects on Medication Documentation Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Course Code and Title Instructor’s Name Due Date
Computerized Physician Order Entry Effects on Medication Documentation
The medication process has a high frequency of medical errors that harm patient safety. Prescribing errors are the most common source, primarily due to incorrect documentation of medication orders (Jungreithmayr et al., 2021). Paper-based or manual prescriptions are significant medication error sources due to omissions or illegibility. A computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system can be appropriate to improve documentation and avoid medication errors. This paper aims to evaluate the impact of implementing the CPOE system on medication documentation to prevent medication errors.
Research Steps
The authors first identified the medication error problem associated with paper-based medication documentation. Secondly, they collected relevant data before and after CPOE system implementation. The researchers later analyzed the data and derived their conclusions. These research steps are essential because they provide evidence for a quality improvement initiative.
The Problem
The research article discusses the medication errors associated with paper-based prescriptions. Manual documentation is a problem since it can be illegible or cause omissions of medication details. The authors seek to solve the problem by implementing quality improvement CPOE systems to improve medication documentation quality and minimize medication errors.
The Purpose
The research aimed to evaluate the distinct effects on the prescription documentation quality of a CPOE system.
The Variables
The independent variable is the CPOE system which positively impacts medication documentation, the dependent variable. Implementing CPOE improves medication documentation by eliminating possible illegibility or misinterpretation issues.
The Research Question
What is the effect of implementing a CPOE quality improvement system on the quality of medication documentation in a larger hospital?
Research Methodology Design and Analyses
The authors used a retrospective analysis to evaluate the in-house drug prescriptions of two groups of patients before and after CPOE implementation. Furthermore, they used an experimental design to determine the effect of the CPOE system on medication documentation quality. They determined whether the prescription documentations were actionable, complete, and safe based on national recommendations. The researchers then used a multivariable analysis to assess the impacts of several related variables on medication documentation. They determined the effects of other variables, such as the ward, the prescription categories, and the number of simultaneously prescribed drugs on medication documentation. The researchers then applied statistical analysis to draw meaningful conclusions (Jungreithmayr et al., 2021).
The authors used two groups with a sample of 160 patients, each in pre-implementation and post-implementation groups, from seven general wards at Heidelberg University Hospital. The researchers used a non-probability sampling method based on specific criteria. Patients in the p...