Implications of Computerized Phyisician Order Entry will have on Essay

Implications of Computerized Phyisician Order Entry will have on Nursing - Essay Example However, the cost of implementation is feared by many hospitals, making the rate of adoption of the process quite low. According to Bates et al. (1999) errors also result to injury or adverse drug event (ADE), resulting to extra work in the hospital. Surprisingly, some ADEs could result to death, with their costs resulting to approximately $2 billion in hospitals. Computerized order entry assists physicians to write orders online, and it ensures that the orders are eligible, complete, and unambiguous. The use of a computer assists physicians in suggesting the appropriate doses while ordering and displaying the necessary laboratory data. It also assists in screening orders for any allergies. As hospitals continue to seek quality care for their patients, health information technology is mostly used in the reduction of medical errors. CPOE is one of the tools used, with an aim of improving quality and safety in hospitals. Approximately 98,000 errors occur in hospitals each year and they result from poor handwriting and miscommunications among the physicians. Nevertheless, CPOE is a savior in such situations, as it requires the providers to type patient’s orders. The CPOE systems have capabilities of reducing the occurrence of harmful drug interactions. Studies conducted have shown that CPOE have the potential to increase care of patients on monitoring and surveillance basis so as to reduce medication errors (Kazley & Diana, 2011). Implications of Computerized Physician Order Entry on Nursing The American recovery and reinvestment act of 2009 requires hospitals to be meaningful users of health information technology, in which CPOE falls under. According to Fields et al (2009, p840), CPOE are being implemented in hospitals at an increasing rate, however, nurses and nursing work is affected by CPOE in one way or another. In a study conducted by Fields et al (2009, p.840), at the community hospital in southern California where nurses were interviewed on the asp ects of CPOE and its effects on the nursing, the nurses’ responses viewed CPOE as a successful tool as it allowed them to be more intelligent when taking care of patients. The nurses viewed CPOE as efficient, as they entered orders in the computer with much ease. However, their fear was on omitting any information and nurses seemed concerned about the time they spent on the computers other than with the patient. This study proved that nurses supported CPOE as an effective measure in improving quality and care in hospitals. CPOE systems have proved to be advantageous compared to paper-based systems. They are fast and are less subjected to errors, they reduce under & over prescribing, reduce the chance of incorrect drug choices, and they make it possible to identify a prescribing physician. The orders typed in the computer are securely communicated, and only accessed by other physicians who are responsible in carrying out the orders. Therefore, CPOE fosters safer patient care p ractices and enables the tracking of physician orders easily. However, CPOE consists of unintended consequences; one of the consequences is the workflow blocks that is in form of alerts and warnings that deem a system unsafe, therefore creating worries of data loosing or delays, and sometime distrusted by nurses. The CPOE system requires computer skills and loads of data that need entry, hence being a source of stress to nurses (Moniz, 2009, p.5). Secondly, the failure to ensure that the system is consistent