Cost-effectiveness analysis of a hospital electronic medication management system

Johanna I. Westbrook*, Elena Gospodarevskaya, Ling Li, Katrina L. Richardson, David Roffe, Maureen Heywood, Richard O. Day, Nicholas Graves

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

26 Citations (Scopus)
174 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Objective To conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis of a hospital electronic medication management system (eMMS). Methods: We compared costs and benefits of paper-based prescribing with a commercial eMMS (CSC MedChart) on one cardiology ward in a major 326-bed teaching hospital, assuming a 15-year time horizon and a health system perspective. The eMMS implementation and operating costs were obtained from the study site. We used data on eMMS effectiveness in reducing potential adverse drug events (ADEs), and potential ADEs intercepted, based on review of 1 202 patient charts before (n1/4801) and after (n1/4401) eMMS. These were combined with published estimates of actual ADEs and their costs. Results: The rate of potential ADEs following eMMS fell from 0.17 per admission to 0.05; a reduction of 71%. The annualized eMMS implementation, maintenance, and operating costs for the cardiology ward were A$61 741 (US$55 296). The estimated reduction in ADEs post eMMS was approximately 80 actual ADEs per year. The reduced costs associated with these ADEs were more than sufficient to offset the costs of the eMMS. Estimated savings resulting from eMMS implementation were A$63-66 (US$56-59) per admission (A$97 740-$102 000 per annum for this ward). Sensitivity analyses demonstrated results were robust when both eMMS effectiveness and costs of actual ADEs were varied substantially. Conclusion: The eMMS within this setting was more effective and less expensive than paper-based prescribing. Comparison with the few previous full economic evaluations available suggests a marked improvement in the cost-effectiveness of eMMS, largely driven by increased effectiveness of contemporary eMMs in reducing medication errors.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)784-793
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of the American Medical Informatics Association
Volume22
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015

Bibliographical note

Copyright the Author(s) 2015. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Cost-effectiveness analysis of a hospital electronic medication management system'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this