Prescribers' reported acceptance and use of drug-drug interaction alerts: an Australian survey

Drug-drug interaction (DDI) alerts are frequently included in electronic medical record (eMR) systems to provide users with relevant information and guidance at the point of care. In this study, we aimed to examine views of DDI alerts among prescribers, including junior doctors, registrars and senior doctors, across Australia. A validated survey for assessing prescribers' reported acceptance and use of DDI alerts was distributed among researcher networks and in newsletters. Fifty useable responses were received, more than half (n = 28) from senior doctors. Prescribers at all levels expected DDI alerts to improve performance but junior doctors reported that this was at a high cost, with respect to time and effort. Senior doctors and registrars reported rarely reading alerts and rarely changing prescribing decisions based on alerts. Respondents identified a number of problems with current alerts including limited relevance, repetition, and poor design, highlighting some clear areas for alert improvement.