The Impact of electronic ordering on information exchange across the hospital ward/pathology interface: trustworthy information and its contribution to patient safety

The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate the impact of a CPOE system on pathology departments with particular emphasis on the implications for information exchange processes at the laboratory and hospital ward interface. The study was carried out over the period August 2005 to August 2008 in a pathology service located in a large Australian suburban tertiary hospital that introduced the Cerner PowerChart (version 2004.01) electronic ordering system in January 2006. The results of the study highlight the contrasting scientific and organisational tasks of the different pathology departments (Haematology, Clinical Chemistry, Central Specimen Reception, Blood Bank and Microbiology) and their effect on information and communication processes. The study also shows how the trustworthiness of CPOE systems is an important consideration underpinning patient safety.