National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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- (-) Adverse Drug Events (ADE) (54)
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- Antibiotics (1)
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- Medical Errors (22)
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- Medication: Safety (28)
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AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 25 of 54 Research Studies DisplayedBoxley C, Fujimoto M, Ratwani RM
A text mining approach to categorize patient safety event reports by medication error type.
This study examined whether natural language processing can be used to better categorize medication related patient safety event reports. A total of 3,861 medication related patient safety event reports that were previously annotated using a consolidated medication error taxonomy were used to develop three models using the following algorithms: (1) logistic regression, (2) elastic net, and (3) XGBoost. The models were tested and performance was analyzed. The authors found the XGBoost model performed best across all medication error categories. 'Wrong Drug', 'Wrong Dosage Form or Technique or Route', and 'Improper Dose/Dose Omission' categories performed best across the three models. In addition, they identified five words most closely associated with each medication error category and which medication error categories were most likely to co-occur.
AHRQ-funded; HS026481.
Citation: Boxley C, Fujimoto M, Ratwani RM .
A text mining approach to categorize patient safety event reports by medication error type.
Sci Rep 2023 Oct 26; 13(1):18354. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-45152-w..
Keywords: Health Information Technology (HIT), Patient Safety, Medication, Medication: Safety, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events
Zhang J, Kummerfield E, Hultman G
Application of causal discovery algorithms in studying the nephrotoxicity of remdesivir using longitudinal data from the EHR.
Researchers analyzed the role of remdesivir in the mechanism and optimal treatment of the development of acute kidney injury (AKI) in the setting of COVID. Applying causal discovery machine learning techniques, they built multifactorial causal models of COVID-AKI; risk factors and renal function measures were represented in a temporal sequence using longitudinal data from Electronic Health Records. Their results indicated a need for assessment of renal function on second- and third-day use of remdesivir, and also showed that remdesivir may pose less risk to AKI than existing conditions of chronic kidney disease.
AHRQ-funded; HS024532.
Citation: Zhang J, Kummerfield E, Hultman G .
Application of causal discovery algorithms in studying the nephrotoxicity of remdesivir using longitudinal data from the EHR.
AMIA Annu Symp Proc 2023 Apr 29; 2022:1227-36..
Keywords: COVID-19, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events
Taft T, Rudd EA, Thraen I
"Are we there yet?" Ten persistent hazards and inefficiencies with the use of medication administration technology from the perspective of practicing nurses.
The objectives of this study were to characterize persistent hazards and inefficiencies in inpatient medication administration, to explore cognitive attributes of medication administration tasks, and to discuss strategies to reduce technology-related hazards. Researchers interviewed nurses at two urban US health systems. Persistent safety hazards and inefficiencies related to medication administration technology were organized around the perception-action cycle (PAC) cycle. The researchers concluded that errors may persist in medication administration despite successful deployment of Bar Code Medication Administration and Electronic Medication Administration Record. Opportunities to improve would require a deeper understanding of high-level reasoning in medication administration.
AHRQ-funded; HS025136.
Citation: Taft T, Rudd EA, Thraen I .
"Are we there yet?" Ten persistent hazards and inefficiencies with the use of medication administration technology from the perspective of practicing nurses.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2023 Apr 19; 30(5):809-18. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocad031..
Keywords: Medication, Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing), Health Information Technology (HIT), Patient Safety, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Medical Errors, Medication: Safety
Grauer A, Rosen A, Applebaum JR
Examining medication ordering errors using AHRQ network of patient safety databases.
Research on the impact of Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) systems on drug order inaccuracies has shown inconsistent results, with CPOE not reliably preventing such mistakes. The study utilized the Network of Patient Safety Databases (NPSD) from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to explore the frequency and degree of harm associated with reported events during the ordering stage, and to classify them by error type.
The researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of reported safety incidents provided by healthcare systems associated with patient safety organizations from June 2010 to December 2020. All errors related to medication and other substance orders reported to the NPSD using the common format v1.2 during this period were assessed. The researchers grouped and categorized the prevalence of reported medication order errors by error type, harm levels, and demographic data. The study found that during the study period, 12,830 mistakes were reported. Incorrect dosage accounted for 3,812 errors (29.7%), followed by incorrect medicine 2,086 (16.3%), and incorrect duration 765 (6.0%). Out of 5,282 incidents that affected the patient and had a known severity level, 12 resulted in fatalities, 4 led to severe harm, 45 caused moderate harm, 341 led to minor harm, and 4,880 resulted in no harm. The study concluded that the most frequently reported and damaging types of medication order errors were incorrect dose and incorrect medication orders.
The researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of reported safety incidents provided by healthcare systems associated with patient safety organizations from June 2010 to December 2020. All errors related to medication and other substance orders reported to the NPSD using the common format v1.2 during this period were assessed. The researchers grouped and categorized the prevalence of reported medication order errors by error type, harm levels, and demographic data. The study found that during the study period, 12,830 mistakes were reported. Incorrect dosage accounted for 3,812 errors (29.7%), followed by incorrect medicine 2,086 (16.3%), and incorrect duration 765 (6.0%). Out of 5,282 incidents that affected the patient and had a known severity level, 12 resulted in fatalities, 4 led to severe harm, 45 caused moderate harm, 341 led to minor harm, and 4,880 resulted in no harm. The study concluded that the most frequently reported and damaging types of medication order errors were incorrect dose and incorrect medication orders.
AHRQ-funded; HS026121.
Citation: Grauer A, Rosen A, Applebaum JR .
Examining medication ordering errors using AHRQ network of patient safety databases.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2023 Apr 19; 30(5):838-45. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocad007..
Keywords: Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Patient Safety, Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing), Health Information Technology (HIT), Medication: Safety
Jiang Y, Mason M, Cho Y
Tolerance to oral anticancer agent treatment in older adults with cancer: a secondary analysis of data from electronic health records and a pilot study of patient-reported outcomes.
The purpose of this study was to explore the tolerance of capecitabine oral chemotherapy among older adults with cancer and investigate factors associated with related side effects and treatment changes. The researchers combined data from electronic health records and a pilot study of patient-reported outcomes, and found that older adults were more likely to experience fatigue and experienced more severe fatigue and hand-foot syndrome (HFS) than younger adults. The severity of fatigue and HFS were associated with the number of outpatient medications and the duration of treatment respectively. Female sex, breast cancer diagnosis, capecitabine monotherapy, and severe HFS were found to be associated with subsequent dose reductions. The study concluded that older adults were less likely to tolerate capecitabine treatment and had different co-occurring side effects compared to younger adults.
AHRQ-funded; HS027846.
Citation: Jiang Y, Mason M, Cho Y .
Tolerance to oral anticancer agent treatment in older adults with cancer: a secondary analysis of data from electronic health records and a pilot study of patient-reported outcomes.
BMC Cancer 2022 Sep 3;22(1):950. doi: 10.1186/s12885-022-10026-3..
Keywords: Elderly, Cancer, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Villa-Zapata L, Gómez-Lumbreras A, Horn J
A disproportionality analysis of drug-drug interactions of tizanidine and CYP1A2 inhibitors from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
This study’s aim was to examine the occurrence of adverse events reported in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) involving the combination of tizanidine and drugs that inhibit the metabolic activity of CYP1A2. Tizanidine is used to help control muscle spasticity. From 2004 quarter 1 through 2020 quarter 3 a total of 89 reports were identified mentioning tizanidine, at least one CYP1A2 inhibitor, and one of the adverse events of interest including: hypotension, bradycardia, syncope, shock, cardiorespiratory arrest, and fall or fracture. More than half the reports identified tizanidine as having a suspect or interacting role, and the reports more frequently involved women (65.1%). The median age was 56.1 years. Hypotension had the highest odds for adverse event reports involving tizanidine and a CYP1A2 inhibitor which can lead to falls and fractures.
AHRQ-funded; HS025984.
Citation: Villa-Zapata L, Gómez-Lumbreras A, Horn J .
A disproportionality analysis of drug-drug interactions of tizanidine and CYP1A2 inhibitors from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Drug Saf 2022 Aug;45(8):863-71. doi: 10.1007/s40264-022-01200-4..
Keywords: Health Information Technology (HIT), Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety
Reese T, Wright A, Liu S
Improving the specificity of drug-drug interaction alerts: can it be done?
A lack of accuracy and specificity of medication alerts have an impact on alert fatigue, high rates of override, and harm to the patient. The drugs that activate alerts are frequently grouped inconsistently into value sets, and alerts for drug-drug interactions (DDI) often do not account for the factors that could decrease risk. The purpose of this proof-of-concept study was to identify and bring attention to the inconsistency of drug value sets for activating alerts, as well as provide a method of classifying factors that can be utilized to alter the risk of harm from a DDI. The researchers included 15 well-known DDIs, and utilized 3 drug interaction references to isolate 2 drug value sets as well as order- and patient-related factors for each DDI. The study reported 30 value sets, with 56% of value sets (17) having nonsignificant agreement, with average moderate agreement among the remaining 13 value sets. Thirty-three factors were identified that could decrease risk in 93% (14) of the 15 DDIs. The researchers concluded that the study shows the value of improving the consistency of DDI-alerting drug value sets, and ways in which alert usefulness and specificity can be improved.
AHRQ-funded; HS025984; HS023826.
Citation: Reese T, Wright A, Liu S .
Improving the specificity of drug-drug interaction alerts: can it be done?
Am J Health Syst Pharm 2022 Jun 23;79(13):1086-95. doi: 10.1093/ajhp/zxac045..
Keywords: Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medication, Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Vallamkonda S, Ortega CA, Lo YC
Identifying and reconciling patients' allergy information within the electronic health record.
The authors examined the prevalence of incompleteness, inaccuracy, and redundancy of allergy information within the electronic health record (EHR) for patients with a clinical encounter at any Mass General Brigham facility between January 1 and December 31, 2018. They identified 4 key places in the EHR containing reconcilable allergy information and determined that 45.2% of the patients had an active allergy entry, with 37.1% indicating a need for reconciliation.
AHRQ-funded; HS025375.
Citation: Vallamkonda S, Ortega CA, Lo YC .
Identifying and reconciling patients' allergy information within the electronic health record.
Stud Health Technol Inform 2022 Jun 6;290:120-24. doi: 10.3233/shti220044..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events
Villa Zapata L, Subbian V, Boyce RD
Overriding drug-drug interaction alerts in clinical decision support systems: a scoping review.
The authors reviewed published data on the rate of Drug-Drug Interactions (DDI) alert overrides and medications involved in the overrides. Among 34 eligible studies, they found that the override rate of DDI alerts ranged from 55% to 98%, with more than half of the studies reporting the most common drug pairs or medications involved in acceptance or overriding of alerts. They recommended decision support systems that take user, drug, and institutional factors into consideration, as well as actionable metrics to better characterize harm associated with overrides.
AHRQ-funded; HS025984; HS023826.
Citation: Villa Zapata L, Subbian V, Boyce RD .
Overriding drug-drug interaction alerts in clinical decision support systems: a scoping review.
Stud Health Technol Inform 2022 Jun 6;290:380-84. doi: 10.3233/shti220101..
Keywords: Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Health Information Technology (HIT), Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medication
Yerneni S, Shah S, Blackley SV
Heterogeneity of drug allergies and reaction lists in two U.S. healthcare systems' electronic health records.
This study compared adverse drug reaction (ADRs) picklists for clinicians in the electronic health record (EHR) allergy list for two different healthcare institutions. The authors used data from the EHRs of patients who visited the emergency department or outpatient clinics at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) from 2013-2018. They investigated the reactions on each picklist and compared the top 40 reactions at each institution, as well as the top 10 reactions within each drug class. Out of 2,160,116 patients sampled, 30% reported active drug allergies. The most commonly reported drug class allergens were similar between the two institutions, however BWH’s picklist had 48 reactions while UCH’s had 160. Twenty-nine reactions were shared by both picklists. There was a lot more granularity with UCH’s picklist so that body locality, swelling and edema were described in much greater detail than for BWH. These picklists may partially explain variations in reported ADRs across healthcare systems.
AHRQ-funded; HS025375.
Citation: Yerneni S, Shah S, Blackley SV .
Heterogeneity of drug allergies and reaction lists in two U.S. healthcare systems' electronic health records.
Appl Clin Inform 2022 May 26;13(3):741-51. doi: 10.1055/a-1862-9425..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety
Adams KT, Pruitt Z, Kazi S
Identifying health information technology usability issues contributing to medication errors across medication process stages.
Researchers sought to identify the types of medication errors associated with health IT use, whether they reached the patient, where in the medication process those errors occurred, and the specific usability issues contributing to those errors. They found that health IT usability issues were a prevalent contributing factor to medication errors, many of which reach the patient. They recommended that data entry, workflow support, and alerting be prioritized during usability and safety optimization efforts.
AHRQ-funded; HS025136.
Citation: Adams KT, Pruitt Z, Kazi S .
Identifying health information technology usability issues contributing to medication errors across medication process stages.
J Patient Saf 2021 Dec 1;17(8):e988-e94. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000868..
Keywords: Medication, Health Information Technology (HIT), Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Patient Safety
Reese TJ, Del Fiol G, Morgan K
A shared decision-making tool for drug interactions between warfarin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: design and usability study.
Exposure to life-threatening drug-drug interactions (DDIs) occurs despite the widespread use of clinical decision support. The DDI between warfarin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is common and potentially life-threatening. Patients can play a substantial role in preventing harm from DDIs; however, the current model for DDI decision-making is clinician centric. This study aimed to design and examine the usability of DDInteract, a tool to support shared decision-making (SDM) between a patient and provider for the DDI between warfarin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
AHRQ-funded; HS026198.
Citation: Reese TJ, Del Fiol G, Morgan K .
A shared decision-making tool for drug interactions between warfarin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: design and usability study.
JMIR Hum Factors 2021 Oct 26;8(4):e28618. doi: 10.2196/28618..
Keywords: Blood Thinners, Medication: Safety, Medication, Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Shared Decision Making, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Patient Safety
Watterson TL, Stone JA, Brown R
CancelRx: a health IT tool to reduce medication discrepancies in the outpatient setting.
Medication list discrepancies between outpatient clinics and pharmacies can lead to medication errors. Within the last decade, a new health information technology (IT), CancelRx, emerged to send a medication cancellation message from the clinic's electronic health record (EHR) to the outpatient pharmacy's software. The objective of this study was to measure the impact of CancelRx on reducing medication discrepancies between the EHR and pharmacy dispensing software.
AHRQ-funded; HS025793.
Citation: Watterson TL, Stone JA, Brown R .
CancelRx: a health IT tool to reduce medication discrepancies in the outpatient setting.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2021 Jul 14;28(7):1526-33. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocab038..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Ambulatory Care and Surgery
Wu P, Nelson SD, Zhao J
DDIWAS: high-throughput electronic health record-based screening of drug-drug interactions.
In this study, the investigators developed and evaluated Drug-Drug Interaction Wide Association Study (DDIWAS). This novel method detected potential drug-drug interactions (DDIs) by leveraging data from the electronic health record (EHR) allergy list. The investigators concluded that they demonstrated the value of incorporating information mined from existing allergy lists to detect DDIs in a real-world clinical setting. They indicate that since allergy lists are routinely collected in EHRs, DDIWAS has the potential to detect and validate DDI signals across institutions.
AHRQ-funded; HS026395.
Citation: Wu P, Nelson SD, Zhao J .
DDIWAS: high-throughput electronic health record-based screening of drug-drug interactions.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2021 Jul 14;28(7):1421-30. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocab019..
Keywords: Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Medication, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety
King CR, Abraham J, Fritz BA
Predicting self-intercepted medication ordering errors using machine learning.
Current approaches to understanding medication ordering errors rely on relatively small manually captured error samples. These approaches are resource-intensive, do not scale for computerized provider order entry (CPOE) systems, and are likely to miss important risk factors associated with medication ordering errors. Previously, the investigators described a dataset of CPOE-based medication voiding accompanied by univariable and multivariable regression analyses. In this paper, they updated the analysis using machine learning (ML) models to predict erroneous medication orders and identify its contributing factors.
AHRQ-funded; HS025443.
Citation: King CR, Abraham J, Fritz BA .
Predicting self-intercepted medication ordering errors using machine learning.
PLoS One 2021 Jul 14;16(7):e0254358. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254358..
Keywords: Medication, Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Gonzales HM, Fleming JN, Gebregziabher M
Pharmacist-led mobile health intervention and transplant medication safety: a randomized controlled clinical trial.
The goal of this study was to examine the efficacy of improving medication safety through a pharmacist-led, mobile health-based intervention. In this single-center study of adult kidney recipients 6-36 months post-transplant, findings showed that participants receiving the intervention experienced a significant reduction in medication errors and a significantly lower incidence risk of Grade 3 or higher adverse events. The intervention arm also demonstrated significantly lower rates of hospitalizations.
AHRQ-funded; HS023754.
Citation: Gonzales HM, Fleming JN, Gebregziabher M .
Pharmacist-led mobile health intervention and transplant medication safety: a randomized controlled clinical trial.
Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2021 May 8;16(5):776-84. doi: 10.2215/cjn.15911020..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, Transplantation, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Provider: Pharmacist, Provider, Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events
Kane-Gill SL, Wong A, Culley CM
JA, et al. Transforming the medication regimen review process using telemedicine to prevent adverse events.
The objective of this study was to determine the impact of pharmacist-led telemedicine services on reducing high-risk medication adverse drug events (ADEs) for nursing home (NH) residents using medication reconciliation and prospective medication regimen reviews (MRRs) on admission plus ongoing clinical decision support alerts throughout the residents' stay. Studying residents in four NHs in Southwestern Pennsylvania, findings showed that the intervention group had a 92% lower incidence of alert-specific ADEs than usual care, and all-cause hospitalization was similar between groups, as were 30-day readmissions.
AHRQ-funded; HS02420.
Citation: Kane-Gill SL, Wong A, Culley CM .
JA, et al. Transforming the medication regimen review process using telemedicine to prevent adverse events.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2021 Feb;69(2):530-38. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16946..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Patient Safety, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Provider: Pharmacist, Provider, Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Prevention
Alvarez-Arango S, Yerneni S, Tang O
Vancomycin hypersensitivity reactions documented in electronic health records.
This study’s objective is to describe vancomycin hypersensitivity reaction (HSR) epidemiology in hospitals documented in electronic health records. Vancomycin is the most commonly prescribed antimicrobial in US hospitals. A cross-sectional study of patients with 1 or more encounter from 2017 to 2019 and an electronic health record vancomycin drug allergy label (DAL) in 2 US health care systems was conducted. Prevalence and trends of vancomycin DALs and assessed active DALs by HSR phenotype was determined. Out of almost 4.5 million patients, 14,426 (0.3%) had a vancomycin DAL with 18,761 documented reactions. Out of those 18,761 vancomycin HSRs, 42.1% were immediate phenotypes and 20.7% were delayed phenotypes. Common reactions were rash and red man syndrome (RMS). Anaphylaxis occurred in 6% of HSRs. RMS reaction was more likely for males and less likely for Blacks.
AHRQ-funded; HS025375.
Citation: Alvarez-Arango S, Yerneni S, Tang O .
Vancomycin hypersensitivity reactions documented in electronic health records.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2021 Feb;9(2):906-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2020.09.027..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Medication, Medication: Safety, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Patient Safety
Abraham J, Galanter WL, Touchette D
Risk factors associated with medication ordering errors.
This study’s goal was to collect data on “voided” orders in computerized order entry systems for medication to 1) identify the nature and characteristics of medication ordering errors; 2) investigate the risk factors associated with these errors and; 3) explore potential strategies to mitigate these risk factors. Data was collected using clinician interviews and surveys within 24 hours of the voided order and using chart reviews. During the 16-month study period 1074 medication orders were voided, with 842 being true medication errors. A total of 22% reached the patient, with at least a single administration, but without causing patient harm. Interviews were conducted on 355 voided orders (33%). Errors were associated with multiple factors not just a single risk factor. The causal contributors included a combination of technological-, cognitive-, environment-, social-, and organization-level factors.
AHRQ-funded; HS025443.
Citation: Abraham J, Galanter WL, Touchette D .
Risk factors associated with medication ordering errors.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2021 Jan 15;28(1):86-94. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocaa264..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing), Medication: Safety, Medication, Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Risk, Health Information Technology (HIT), Patient Safety
Salmasian H, Blanchfield BB, Joyce K
Association of display of patient photographs in the electronic health record with wrong-patient order entry errors.
Wrong-patient order entry (WPOE) errors have a high potential for harm; these errors are particularly frequent wherever workflows are complex and multitasking and interruptions are common, such as in the emergency department (ED). The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the use of noninterruptive display of patient photographs in the banner of the electronic health record (EHR) is associated with a decreased rate of WPOE errors.
AHRQ-funded; HS024713.
Citation: Salmasian H, Blanchfield BB, Joyce K .
Association of display of patient photographs in the electronic health record with wrong-patient order entry errors.
AMA Netw Open 2020 Nov 2;3(11):e2019652. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.19652..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medication, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Diagnostic Safety and Quality
Banerji A, Lai KH, Li Y
Natural language processing combined with ICD-9-CM codes as a novel method to study the epidemiology of allergic drug reactions.
Researchers sought to develop and validate a novel informatics method based on natural language processing (NLP) in combination with ICD-9-CM codes that identifies allergic drug reactions in the electronic health record. They found that using NLP with ICD-9-CM codes improved identification of allergic drug reactions, and they concluded that the resulting decrease in manual chart review effort will facilitate large epidemiology studies of this understudied area.
AHRQ-funded; HS024264; HS025375.
Citation: Banerji A, Lai KH, Li Y .
Natural language processing combined with ICD-9-CM codes as a novel method to study the epidemiology of allergic drug reactions.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2020 Mar;8(3):1032-38.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2019.12.007..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Medication: Safety, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Patient Safety
Lambert BL, Galanter W, Liu KL
Automated detection of wrong-drug prescribing errors.
Investigators assessed the specificity of an algorithm designed to detect look-alike/sound-alike (LASA) medication prescribing errors in electronic health record (EHR) data. They found that automated detection of LASA medication errors is feasible and can reveal errors not currently detected by other means. Additionally, real-time error detection is not possible with the current system. They suggested that further development should replicate their analysis in other health systems and on a larger set of medications and should decrease clinician time spent reviewing false-positive triggers by increasing specificity.
AHRQ-funded; HS021093.
Citation: Lambert BL, Galanter W, Liu KL .
Automated detection of wrong-drug prescribing errors.
BMJ Qual Saf 2019 Nov;28(11):908-15. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2019-009420..
Keywords: Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Medical Errors, Medication, Patient Safety
Adelman JS, Applebaum JR, Southern WN
Risk of wrong-patient orders among multiple vs singleton births in the neonatal intensive care units of 2 integrated health care systems.
Researchers assessed the risk of wrong-patient orders among multiple-birth infants and singletons receiving care in the NICU and examined the proportion of wrong-patient orders between multiple-birth infants and siblings (intrafamilial errors) and between multiple-birth infants and nonsiblings (extrafamilial errors). They found that multiple-birth status in the NICU is associated with significantly increased risk of wrong-patient orders compared with singleton-birth status. Strategies to reduce this risk include using given names at birth, changing from temporary to given names when available, and encouraging parents to select names for multiple births before they are born when acceptable to families.
AHRQ-funded; HS024538.
Citation: Adelman JS, Applebaum JR, Southern WN .
Risk of wrong-patient orders among multiple vs singleton births in the neonatal intensive care units of 2 integrated health care systems.
JAMA Pediatr 2019 Oct 10;173(10):979-85. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.2733..
Keywords: Newborns/Infants, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Nguyen BP, Reese T, Decker S
Implementation of clinical decision support services to detect potential drug-drug interaction using clinical quality language.
The authors report on the implementation and evaluation of CDS Services which represent potential drug-drug interactions knowledge with Clinical Quality Language (CQL). Their suggested solution is based on emerging standards including CDS Hooks, FHIR, and CQL. They selected two use cases, implemented them with CQL rules, and tested them.
AHRQ-funded; HS023826; HS025984.
Citation: Nguyen BP, Reese T, Decker S .
Implementation of clinical decision support services to detect potential drug-drug interaction using clinical quality language.
Stud Health Technol Inform 2019 Aug 21;264:724-28. doi: 10.3233/shti190318..
Keywords: Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Medication, Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Deng F, Li MD, Wong A
Quality of documentation of contrast agent allergies in electronic health records.
The purpose of this study was to describe and appraise contrast agent allergy documentation in the electronic health record (EHR). The investigators concluded that contrast allergy records in EHRs were diverse and commonly low quality. They suggest that continued EHR enhancements and training are needed to support contrast allergy documentation to facilitate improved patient care and medical research.
AHRQ-funded; HS025375.
Citation: Deng F, Li MD, Wong A .
Quality of documentation of contrast agent allergies in electronic health records.
J Am Coll Radiol 2019 Aug;16(8):1027-35. doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2019.01.027..
Keywords: Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Imaging