The journey from precontemplation to action: Transitioning between electronic medical record systems.

Background: Health care organizations, in response to federal programs, have sought to identify electronic medical record (EMR) strategies that align well with their visions for success. Little exists in the literature discussing the transition from one EMR strategy to another.

Purpose: The analysis and planning process used by a major academic medical center in its journey to adopt a new strategy was described in this study.

Immediate benefits realized following implementation of physician order entry at an academic medical center.

Objective: To evaluate the benefits of computerized physician order entry (POE) and electronic medication administration record (eMAR) on the delivery of health care.

Design: Inpatient nursing units in an academic health system were the setting for the study. The study comprised before-and-after comparisons between phase 1, pre-implementation of POE (pre-POE) and phase 2, post-implementation of POE (post-POE) and, within phase 2, a comparison of POE and the combination of POE plus eMAR.

Key attributes of a successful physician order entry system implementation in a multi-hospital environment.

The benefits of computerized physician order entry have been widely recognized, although few institutions have successfully installed these systems. Obstacles to successful implementation are organizational as well as technical. In the spring of 2000, following a 4-year period of planning and customization, a 9-month pilot project, and a 14-month hiatus for year 2000, the Ohio State University Health System extensively implemented physician order entry across inpatient units.