Pseudorandomized Testing of a Discharge Medication Alert to Reduce Free-Text Prescribing

Background Pseudorandomized testing can be applied to perform rigorous yet practical evaluations of clinical decision support tools. We apply this methodology to an interruptive alert aimed at reducing free-text prescriptions. Using free-text instead of structured computerized provider order entry elements can cause medication errors and inequity in care by bypassing medication-based clinical decision support tools and hindering automated translation of prescription instructions.Objective The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an interruptive alert at reducing free-text prescriptions via pseudorandomized testing using native electronic health records (EHR) functionality.Methods Two versions of an EHR alert triggered when a provider attempted to sign a discharge free-text prescription. The visible version displayed an interruptive alert to the user, and a silent version triggered in the background, serving as a control. Providers were assigned to the visible and silent arms based on even/odd EHR provider IDs. The proportion of encounters with a free-text prescription was calculated across the groups. Alert trigger rates were compared in process control charts. Free-text prescriptions were analyzed to identify prescribing patterns.Results Over the 28-week study period, 143 providers triggered 695 alerts (345 visible and 350 silent). The proportions of encounters with free-text prescriptions were 83% (266/320) and 90% (273/303) in the intervention and control groups, respectively ( p = 0.01). For the active alert, median time to action was 31 seconds. Alert trigger rates between groups were similar over time. Ibuprofen, oxycodone, steroid tapers, and oncology-related prescriptions accounted for most free-text prescriptions. A majority of these prescriptions originated from user preference lists.Conclusion An interruptive alert was associated with a modest reduction in free-text prescriptions. Furthermore, the majority of these prescriptions could have been reproduced using structured order entry fields. Targeting user preference lists shows promise for future intervention.