Table 2.

Effective behaviour change techniques to reduce prescribing errors in HIT

BCT cluster	BCT label	Key behaviour	ER (% effect. ratio)
1. Goals and planning	1.3 Goal setting (outcome)	✓ Ensure prescriber or clinical involvement in HIT configuration and design; in clinical parameter setting for dosing support and other clinical decision support; in drug library design	1 (100)
	1.7 Review outcome goal(s)	✓ Review and modify HIT in response to prescriber feedback	1 (100)
2. Feedback and monitoring	2.1 Monitoring of behaviour by others without feedback	✓ Observe and record prescriber workflow and behaviour with their knowledge but without providing feedback, in order to adapt system and in turn modify prescriber behaviour (e.g. drop-down menus that are contributing to selection errors may be modified after prescriber observation)	1 (100)
	2.5 Monitoring of outcome(s) of behaviour without feedback	✓ Monitor electronic prescriptions or orders generated by prescribers without providing feedback in order to prevent or detect errors (not for the purpose of study data collection)	1 (100)
3. Social support	3.2 Social support (practical)	✓ Ensure clinical colleagues (e.g. ‘super-users’) or IT phone support available to give practical system support to prescribers and to answer questions	1 (100)
9. Comparison of outcomes	9.1 Credible source	✓ Deliver prescriber training, or information on the consequences of medication errors by a credible source such as an informatics pharmacist or other clinical healthcare professional	1 (100)
4. Shaping knowledge	4.1 Instruction on how to perform a behaviour	✓ Provide training sessions on how to use the system and prescribe a drug correctly; may be classroom or workbook-based	0.91 (91)
5. Natural consequences	5.1 Information on health consequences	✓ Alert the prescriber about the consequences of placing a specific medication order (e.g. patient allergy, drug-drug interaction, therapeutic duplication, contraindication) through system alerts or warnings; verbal or written information on medication errors may also be provided	0.86 (86)
7. Associations	7.1 Prompts/cues	✓ Provide visual on-screen alerts or pop-ups to prompt prescribers to change or adjust potentially erroneous or unsafe medication orders	0.86 (86)
8. Repetition and substitution	8.1 Behavioural practice/rehearsal	✓ Provide classroom or individual training sessions for prescribers to work through order examples, workbooks, online modules, or system demos	0.80 (80)