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. 2008 May-Jun;15(3):324-32.
doi: 10.1197/jamia.M2608. Epub 2008 Feb 28.

Computerized alerts improve outpatient laboratory monitoring of transplant patients

Catherine J Staes  1 , R Scott Evans, Beatriz H S C Rocha, John B Sorensen, Stanley M Huff, Joan Arata, Scott P Narus
Affiliations

Computerized alerts improve outpatient laboratory monitoring of transplant patients

Catherine J Staes et al. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2008 May-Jun.

Erratum in

  • J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2008 Sep-Oct;15(5):708

Abstract

Authors evaluated the impact of computerized alerts on the quality of outpatient laboratory monitoring for transplant patients. For 356 outpatient liver transplant patients managed at LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, this observational study compared traditional laboratory result reporting, using faxes and printouts, to computerized alerts implemented in 2004. Study alerts within the electronic health record notified clinicians of new results and overdue new orders for creatinine tests and immunosuppression drug levels. After implementing alerts, completeness of reporting increased from 66 to >99 %, as did positive predictive value that a report included new information (from 46 to >99 %). Timeliness of reporting and clinicians' responses improved after implementing alerts (p <0.001): median times for clinicians to receive and complete actions decreased to 9 hours from 33 hours using the prior traditional reporting system. Computerized alerts led to more efficient, complete, and timely management of laboratory information.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Decision support system for the liver transplant laboratory alerts.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Alert for a liver transplant patient.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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