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  • Title: The uptake of technologies designed to influence medication safety in Canadian hospitals.
    Author: Saginur M, Graham ID, Forster AJ, Boucher M, Wells GA.
    Journal: J Eval Clin Pract; 2008 Feb; 14(1):27-35. PubMed ID: 18211640.
    Abstract:
    BACKGROUND: There are many technologies designed to improve medication safety. Although limited evidence supports their use, there are pressures to implement them. OBJECTIVE: To determine the uptake of technologies designed to improve medication safety, plans for adopting technologies, attitudes towards technology use, and perceptions of medication error. Methods We performed a cross-sectional survey of pharmacy directors at Canada's 100 largest acute-care hospitals. RESULTS: Seventy-eight per cent of surveyed hospitals responded. Responding hospitals averaged 499 beds and 29% were teaching facilities. Hospital frequently used clinical pharmacy services (97% of hospitals), pharmacy-based intravenous admixture services (81%), computerized decision support modules for pharmacy order entry systems (77%), unit-dose drug distribution systems (75%) and computerized medication administration records (67%). Hospitals infrequently used bar-coding (9% of hospitals) and computerized physician order entry (9%). A majority of respondents and hospitals favoured expanded use of new technologies and planned for increased uptake. Respondents chose as their hospital's next investment: automated dispensing (33%), bar-coding (25%) and computerized physician order entry (12%). CONCLUSION: Canadian hospitals appear poised to make sizeable investments in poorly evaluated technologies that address medication safety.
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