Table 4.
Table 4. Prescribers’ Views on Statements about Computerized Drug–Drug Interaction Alerts
| View | Mean ∗ (SD) | % Often‡ |
|---|---|---|
| I am satisfied with the accuracy of the DDI alerting system. | 3.1 (1.3) | 44 |
| How frequently do you have problems with the computerized patient record system (CPRS)? | 1.8 (0.8) | 3 |
| How frequently do you feel like hitting the computer terminal? | 1.7 (0.9) | 4 |
| DDI alerts provide me with information that I already know. | 3.4 (1.1) | 52 |
| The DDI system provides alerts that seem to be just about exactly what I need. | 2.7 (1.2) | 29 |
| Of all the medication orders you enter during an average day, how often do you receive alerts about potential DDIs? | 2.5 (1.0) | 16 |
| DDI alerts change my initial prescribing decisions. | 1.9 (1.0) | 8 |
| How frequently do you find it necessary to bypass the CPRS and use the old way of doing things? | 1.3 (0.7) | 2 |
| mean† (SD) | % agree§ | |
| DDI alerts should be accompanied by management alternatives. | 3.8 (1.0) | 73 |
| DDI alerts should be accompanied by more detailed information about the interaction. | 3.7 (1.1) | 65 |
| DDI alerts should only appear once during the order entry process. | 3.6 (1.1) | 59 |
| DDI alerts are presented in a useful format. | 3.2 (1.1) | 46 |
| I feel confident in the computer’s ability to provide me with meaningful DDI alerts. | 3.2 (1.1) | 43 |
| A DDI alert should not be generated for individual patients who have already had an alert overridden. | 3.1 (1.2) | 39 |
| It should be more difficult for prescribers to override alerts for potentially lethal interactions. | 3.0 (1.2) | 36 |
| Prescribers should have the ability to tailor which DDIs generate alerts when they are entering orders. | 2.9 (1.1) | 26 |
| Prescribers should not be required to enter a reason for overriding a DDI alert. | 2.6 (1.2) | 24 |
| DDIs considered only significant (vs. critical) should not generate an alert. | 2.6 (0.9) | 17 |
| DDI alerts, such as those in CPRS, have increased my potential for prescribing medications safely. | 3.6 (1.1) | 61 |
| The DDI alert system is good at alerting me to clinically important interactions. | 3.5 (1.0) | 61 |
| DDI alerts are essentially meaningless, a waste of time. | 2.2 (1.1) | 13 |
∗ 1 = Almost never; 2 = Some of the time; 3 = About half of the time; 4 = Most of the time; 5 = Almost always.
† 1 = Strongly disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Neither disagree nor agree; 4 = Agree; 5 = Strongly agree.
‡ Includes those who responded most of the time and almost always.
§ Includes those who responded agree or strongly agree.
SD = standard deviation.