PALO ALTO, Calif-- Computerized physician order entry (CPOE).  It’s been touted as an essential component for ensuring patient safety.  A cure-all, a solution, a universal remedy.
 
But according to an influential group of children’s health leaders meeting this Sunday (18) in San Francisco, CPOE is not yet the slam-dunk some would expect.  This extraordinarily complex component to the delivery of care has plenty of unintended, even deadly consequences.  That’s why over 100 leaders from around the world are coming together to share ways to “Overcome the Pitfalls of Health Information Technology to Achieve the Quality and Safety Promise.”
 
“Emerging literature suggests the time is right for the summit,” said Paul Sharek, MD, MPH, chief clinical safety officer at Packard Children’s, meeting leader and planning committee chair.  He’s right.  In 2005, Pediatrics published an article describing the “Unexpected Mortality Increase after CPOE Implementation” at one East Coast hospital.  In 2006, a JAMIA article identified several different types of clinical unintended adverse consequences related to CPOE, from workflow issues to emotional concerns to medication delays.
 
“Nothing like this meeting has ever been undertaken,” said Chris Longhurst, MD, MS, physician leader of clinical informatics at Packard Children's.  At the meeting, early CPOE adopters such as Boston Children’s and Los Angeles Children’s Hospital plan to share learnings on both the benefits and challenges ahead.  Packard Children’s plans its full implementation of CPOE in September ’07. 
 
“Information technology is an important component of a safe environment, but it must be implemented thoughtfully,” added Sharek, who noted that CPOE not only changes the culture of a hospital but also the IT department.  “What we learn at Sunday’s meeting could save lives, and will no doubt enlighten us all to one of the most critical challenges we’ve ever faced.”
 
This meeting is co-sponsored by The National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality (NICHQ) and the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI).  The meeting will be held at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco, 5 Embarcadero Center, (415)-788-1234, 10:30am-5:00pm.
 
About Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
Ranked as one of the best pediatric hospitals in the nation by U.S.News & World Report and Child magazine, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford is a 264-bed hospital devoted to the care of children and expectant mothers. Providing pediatric and obstetric medical and surgical services and associated with the Stanford University School of Medicine, Packard Children's offers patients locally, regionally and nationally the full range of health care programs and services — from preventive and routine care to the diagnosis and treatment of serious illness and injury. For more information, visit www.lpch.org.