Healthcare information technology is defined as the application of information processing involving both computer hardware and software that deals with the storage, retrieval, sharing, and use of health care information, data, and knowledge for communication and decision making. Patient safety is a subset of healthcare and is defined as the avoidance, prevention, and amelioration of adverse outcomes or injuries stemming from the processes of health care. In 1999 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) called for developing and testing new technologies to reduce medical errors, and using information technology as a key first step in transforming and changing the healthcare environment to achieve better and safer care.
Health information technology includes various technologies that span from simple charting to more advanced decision support and integration with medical technology. Health information technology presents numerous opportunities for improving and transforming healthcare which includes; reducing human errors, improving clinical outcomes, facilitating care coordination, improving practice efficiencies, and tracking data over time. There has been an accelerated development and adoption of health information technology with varying degrees of evidence about the impact of health information technology on patient safety.
The current available scientific evidence has impact on different health information technologies on improving patient safety outcomes. It is useful for clinicians and healthcare policy makers when making evidence based decisions on procurement and implementation of such technology to improve patient safety.
Computerized physician order entry entails the use of electronic or computer support to enter physician orders including medication orders using a computer or mobile device platform. Computerized physician order entry systems were originally developed to improve the safety of medication orders but more modern systems allow electronic ordering of tests, procedures, and consultations. Computerized physician order entry systems are usually integrated with a clinical decision support system (CDS), which acts as an error prevention tool through guiding the prescriber on the preferred drug doses, route, and frequency of administration. In addition, some systems may have the feature of prompting the prescriber to any patient allergies, drug-drug or drug-lab interactions or with sophisticated systems it might prompt the prescriber towards interventions that should be prescribed based on clinical guideline recommendation. The use of hard stops as a measure of forcing function and error prevention in systems is effective in changing prescribing errors. However, the use of hard-stops can result in clinically important treatment delays.