IMPLEMENTATION OF PHYSICIAN ORDER ENTRY - USER SATISFACTION AND SELF-REPORTED USAGE PATTERNS

Objectives: To evaluate user satisfaction, correlates of satisfaction, and self-reported usage patterns regarding physican order entry (POE) in one hospital. Design: Surveys were sent to physician and nurse POE users from medical and surgical services. Results: The users were gen erally satisfied with POE (mean = 5.07 on a 1 to 7 scale). The physici ans were moro satisfied than the nurses, and the medical staff were mo re satisfied than the surgical staff; satisfaction levels were accepta ble (more than 3.50) even in the less satisfied groups. Satisfaction w as highly correlated with perceptions about POE's effects on productiv ity, ease of use, and speed. POE features directed at improving the qu ality of care were less strongly correlated with satisfaction. The phy sicians valued POE's off-floor accessibility most, and the nurses valu ed legibility and accuracy of POE orders most. Some features, such as elf-floor ordering, were perceived to be highly useful and reported to be frequently used by the physicians; while other features, such as ' 'quick mode'' ordering and personal order sets, received little self-r eported use. Conclusions: Survey of POE users showed thar satisfaction with POE was good. Satisfaction was more correlated with perceptions about POE's effect on productivity than with POE's effect on quality o f care. Physicians and nurses constitute two very different types of u sers, underscoring the importance of involving both physicians and non physicians in POE development. The results suggest that development ef forts should focus on improving system speed, adding on-line help, and emphasizing quality benefits of POE.