Strategies to Mitigate Information Technology Discrepancies in Health Care Organizations

• Main Author: Oluokun, Oluwatosin Tolulope
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: ScholarWorks 2018
• Subjects: computerized physician order entry; discrepancies; electronic health records; health information exchange; interoperability; medication errors; Business; Health and Medical Administration
• Online Access: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/6257; https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7536&context=dissertations

Medication errors increased 64.4% from 2015 to 2018 in the United States due to the use of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems and the inability to exchange information among health care facilities. Healthcare information exchange (HIE) and subsequent discrepancies resulted in significant medical errors due to the lack of exchangeable health care information using technology software. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies health care business managers used to manage computerized physician order entry systems within health care facilities to reduce medication errors and increase profitability. The population of the study was 8 clinical business managers in 2 successful small health care clinics located in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with health care leaders and documents from the health care organization as a resource. Inductive analysis was guided by the Donabedian theory and sociotechnical system theory, and trustworthiness of interpretations was confirmed through member checking. Three themes emerged: standardizing data formats reduced medication errors and increased profits, adopting user-friendly HIE reduced medication errors and increase profits, and efficient communication reduced medication errors and increased profits. The findings of this study contribute to positive change through improved health care delivery to patients resulting in healthier communities.