Implementation of electronic medication management systems in hospitals – a literature scan

Project members - Macquarie University

Associate Professor Melissa Baysari
Associate Professor

Dr Wu Yi Zheng
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow

Professor Johanna Westbrook
Professor and Director

Project contacts

Associate Professor Melissa Baysari
T: +612 9850 2416
E: melissa.baysari@mq.edu.au

Project main description

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission) promotes, supports and encourages the implementation of safety and quality initiatives in Australia. One such initiative is the widespread adoption of electronic medication management (eMM) systems in Australian hospitals. eMM systems can improve the quality, safety and efficiency of patient care, but implementations are complex, the result sometimes being a system that is not adopted or used optimally in practice. The Commission has produced a range of resources to assist health service organisations and health professionals safely implement and use eMM, including a Guide to Safe Implementation (Versions 1 & 2). We conducted a review of the literature to inform development of a third edition.

Aims

To undertake a scan of the literature to identify safety issues related to implementation and use of eMM systems in hospitals, factors that contribute to successful eMM implementation, and to explore how policy and regulations impact on the uptake and use of eMM in hospitals.

Design and method

A search strategy was designed and applied to identify current literature on safe and effective implementation and use of eMM in hospitals. We included papers published in English between 2010 and 2016 that described a qualitative or quantitative evaluation of the implementation of a computerised system with prescribing functionality in hospitals, or described policy or regulatory impacts on the uptake of computerised systems in hospitals. We also included case studies, commentaries, editorials and conference proceedings.

Project details

This project is funded by The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care

Related stream of research

Project status

Current

Centres related to this project

Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research