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First published April 2, 2004 as JAMIA PrePrint; doi:10.1197/jamia.M1531
Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association 2004;11(4):278-280
© 2004 American Medical Informatics Association

A more recent version of this article appeared on July 1, 2004
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Submitted on January 9, 2004
Accepted on March 14, 2004

Computerized Reminders Reduce the Use of Medications during Shortages

Benjamin Bogucki1, Brian R. Jacobs MD1*, John Hingle RPH2, and The Clinical Informatics Outcomes Research Group

Affiliation of the authors: 1 Division of Critical Care Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center & The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH; 2 Pharmacy Department, Cincinatti Children's Hospital Medical Center & The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Medication shortages pose serious problems in health care. This study examines the impact of a computer-based reminder in addressing a national methylprednisolone shortage. An alert was designed and implemented in a computerized order entry platform at a children's hospital. The alert informed physicians of the shortage and provided an alternative prescribing pathway. Data regarding the number and type of parenteral corticosteroid prescriptions were collected for a 1-month period before and after the alert was implemented. The alert resulted in a 55% relative reduction in methylprednisolone use and an average reduction of over 3 orders each day. Dexamethasone and hydrocortisone, the recommended alternative medications, increased in use by 12% and 49% respectively. The alert resulted in a $36,552 annualized cost reduction to the institution. Similar alert applications have great potential for effectively altering physician prescribing behavior.




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