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Evidence summaries

The Effects of on-Screen, Point of Care Computer Reminders on Processes and Outcomes of Care

Point of care computer reminders appear to generally achieve small to modest improvements in provider behaviour, but more research is needed to identify what types of reminders work and when. Level of evidence: "B"

A Cochrane review [Abstract] 1 included twenty-eight studies (reporting a total of thirty-two comparisons). Computer reminders achieved a median improvement in process adherence of 4.2% (interquartile range (IQR): 0.8% to 18.8%) across all reported process outcomes, 3.3% (IQR: 0.5% to 10.6%) for medication ordering, 3.8% (IQR: 0.5% to 6.6%) for vaccinations, and 3.8% (IQR: 0.4% to 16.3%) for test ordering. In a sensitivity analysis using the best outcome from each study, the median improvement was 5.6% (IQR: 2.0% to 19.2%) across all process measures and 6.2% (IQR: 3.0% to 28.0%) across measures of medication ordering.

In the eight comparisons that reported dichotomous clinical endpoints, intervention patients experienced a median absolute improvement of 2.5% (IQR: 1.3% to 4.2%). Blood pressure was the most commonly reported clinical endpoint, with intervention patients experiencing a median reduction in their systolic blood pressure of 1.0 mmHg (IQR: 2.3 mmHg reduction to 2.0 mmHg increase).

Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by inconsistency (heterogeneity in interventions and outcomes).

    References

    • Shojania KG, Jennings A, Mayhew A, Ramsay CR, Eccles MP, Grimshaw J. The effects of on-screen, point of care computer reminders on processes and outcomes of care. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2009 Jul 8;(3):CD001096. [PubMed]

Primary/Secondary Keywords