Effect of modifying dose alerts in an electronic health record on frequency of alerts.

Purpose: Results of a study to reduce the number of medication order-entry alerts and perceived alert fatigue by optimizing alert logic are reported.

Methods: Data on dosage alerts registered throughout a health system over 2 days per study phase (preintervention and postintervention) were collected from the electronic health record. The 5 medications most frequently associated with dosage alerts during computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) were evaluated for appropriateness in relation to patient-specific characteristics.