A Systems Engineering Approach: Improving Medication Safety with Clinician Use of Health IT
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Project Details -
Completed
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Grant NumberR18 HS017020
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AHRQ Funded Amount$1,193,376
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Principal Investigator(s)
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Organization
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LocationBuffaloNew York
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Project Dates09/07/2007 - 11/30/2010
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Technology
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Care Setting
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Population
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Type of Care
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Health Care Theme
Medication safety is known to be a major problem in ambulatory primary care and existing methodologies to address this issue have had limited success. This project used an analysis based on failure modes and effects in a primary care setting to address this issue. Practices, including safety net practices, with pre-existing electronic medical records (EMRs) were recruited from within a local practice-based research network. The primary outcome measures were adverse drug events (ADEs) in adults 65 and older, ascertained using a trigger tool chart review methodology at two 12-month periods, pre and post intervention. The project also developed and pilot-tested a Web-based implementation of a Team Resource Management (TRM) intervention aimed at improving medication safety in primary care.
The objectives of this study were to:
- Examine the impact of an information technology (IT)-based TRM intervention on reducing selected ADEs among geriatric patients in primary care.
- Examine the impact of an IT-based TRM intervention on improving monitoring for geriatric patients taking selected chronic medications in primary care.
- Evaluate office staff use and application of the IT-based TRM Tool for improving geriatric medication safety in primary care settings.
The study achieved its main aims of developing and implementing a Web-based TRM in a variety of ambulatory settings. The main outcome was a trend toward a decrease in the rate of ADEs in the intervention group over time, in contrast to the control group which showed no such trend. This pilot study was limited by small size and short followup period, and by weaknesses of the trigger tool methodology for measuring ADEs. Nevertheless, it achieved its aim of demonstrating successful implementation of a Web-based TRM in busy primary care practices. The team hopes that future studies will test the intervention on a larger scale over a longer period of time, and will explore methods for overcoming common barriers faced.
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