TY - GEN
T1 - Optimising computerised alerts within electronic medication management systems
T2 - 22nd Australian National Health Informatics Conference, HIC 2014
AU - Baysari, Melissa T.
AU - Westbrook, Johanna I.
AU - Richardson, Katrina
AU - Day, Richard O.
N1 - Copyright the Author(s) 2014. 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.
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - Most studies evaluating the effect of computerised alerts embedded in electronic medication management systems (eMMS) on prescribing behavior demonstrate positive and often substantial effects. But many studies also report that doctors override computerised alerts, sometimes up to 95% of the time. Alert fatigue, due to excessive numbers of alerts being presented, is the primary reason for alerts being overridden. This paper summarises and sythesises a program of research undertaken to determine whether doctors working in a teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia, were experiencing alert fatigue, and to identify and implement strategies for alleviating alert fatigue. We synthesise several published studies adopting a variety of data collection methods (observation of prescribers as they interact with the eMMS, interviews with users, review of alerts generated in eMMS, and a Delphi technique) to present four key lessons learnt. These are: 1) the fewer alerts the better; 2) context of use matters; 3) people use systems in unexpected ways; and 4) user feedback is invaluable.
AB - Most studies evaluating the effect of computerised alerts embedded in electronic medication management systems (eMMS) on prescribing behavior demonstrate positive and often substantial effects. But many studies also report that doctors override computerised alerts, sometimes up to 95% of the time. Alert fatigue, due to excessive numbers of alerts being presented, is the primary reason for alerts being overridden. This paper summarises and sythesises a program of research undertaken to determine whether doctors working in a teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia, were experiencing alert fatigue, and to identify and implement strategies for alleviating alert fatigue. We synthesise several published studies adopting a variety of data collection methods (observation of prescribers as they interact with the eMMS, interviews with users, review of alerts generated in eMMS, and a Delphi technique) to present four key lessons learnt. These are: 1) the fewer alerts the better; 2) context of use matters; 3) people use systems in unexpected ways; and 4) user feedback is invaluable.
KW - Computerised alerts
KW - alert fatigue
KW - decision support
KW - electronic health records
KW - error
KW - medication safety
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84927172104&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3233/978-1-61499-427-5-1
DO - 10.3233/978-1-61499-427-5-1
M3 - Conference proceeding contribution
C2 - 25087519
AN - SCOPUS:84927172104
VL - 204
T3 - Studies in Health Technology and Informatics
SP - 1
EP - 6
BT - Investing in E-Health: People, Knowledge and Technology for a Healthy Future - Selected Papers from the 22nd Australian National Health Informatics Conference, HIC 2014
A2 - Grain, Heather
A2 - Martin-Sanchez, Fernando
A2 - Schaper, Louise K.
PB - IOS Press
CY - Amsterdam, Netherlands
Y2 - 11 August 2014 through 14 August 2014
ER -