This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: M1839v1 12/5/554    most recent Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Knight, A. M. Articles by Leff, B. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Knight, A. M. Articles by Leff, B.

The Effect of Computerized Provider Order Entry on Medical Student Clerkship Experiences

Affiliations of the authors: Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. Dr. Harper is currently at the Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA.

Correspondence and reprints: Amy M. Knight, MD, CIMS Division, ASC Building, Room 262, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, 4940 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21224; e-mail: <aknight{at}jhmi.edu>.

Received for publication: 03/31/05; accepted for publication: 05/09/05.

Objective: To describe medical students' attitudes toward placing orders during training, and the effect of computerized provider order entry (CPOE) on their learning experiences.

Design: Prospective, controlled study of all 143 Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine students who began the Basic Medicine clerkship between March 2003 and April 2004 at one of three teaching hospitals: one using CPOE, one paper orders, and one that began using CPOE midway through this study.

Measurements: Survey of students at the start and after the first month of the clerkship.

Results: Ninety-six percent of students responded. Students expressed a desire to place 100% of orders for their patients. Ninety-five percent of students believed that placing orders helps students learn what tests and treatments patients need. Eighty-four percent reported that being unavailable due to conferences and teaching sessions was a significant barrier to participating in the ordering process. Students at hospitals using CPOE reported placing significantly fewer of their patients' follow-up orders compared to students at hospitals using paper orders (25% vs. 50%, p < 0.01) and were more likely to report that their resident or intern did not want them to enter orders (40% vs. 16%, p < 0.01). Comparisons of students at hospitals using CPOE to each other showed that these differences were attributable to one of the hospitals. Thirty-two percent of students at both hospitals using CPOE reported that the extra length of time required for housestaff to review their orders in the computer was a significant barrier.

Conclusion: Hospitals need to ensure that the educational potential of medical students' clinical experiences is maximized when implementing CPOE.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. M. Campbell, D. F. Sittig, J. S. Ash, K. P. Guappone, and R. H. Dykstra Types of Unintended Consequences Related to Computerized Provider Order Entry J. Am. Med. Inform. Assoc., September 1, 2006; 13(5): 547 - 556. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]